The archives of negatives, publications and documents of Manuel Álvarez Bravo
Documentary heritage submitted by Mexico and recommended for inclusion in the Memory of the World Register in 2017.
© Archivo Manuel Álvarez Bravo, S.C, Portrait of the Eternal, 1935
Manuel Álvarez Bravo (1902-2002), pioneer of artistic photography in Mexico and one of Latin America’s emblematic photographers is considered one of the 20th Century’s foremost representatives of world photography. The themes of his works allude to the human condition beyond the limits of geographical boundaries. His aesthetic, at the same time both classical and modern, was nourished by the cultural expressions of his native Mexico but he also explored cubism and the possibilities of abstract art too. His work is included in many of the world’s major photographic collections: Getty Museum in Los Angeles; MoMA in New York; George Eastman House in Rochester; Victoria and Albert Museum in London; National Library and Museum of Modern Art in Paris.He left behind his archive of some 37,000 negatives, of which only about 10% was known. He also left an archive of publications and documents, testimonies and exercises in research and critique.These materials had not been inventoried or carefully preserved, and this was what led in March 2005 to the foundation of the Manuel Álvarez Bravo Association. In November 2011, the Manuel Álvarez Bravo Archive was founded, to complement and strengthen the Association’s efforts by providing services to the public.