Inspirations
Lola Álvarez Bravo
Lola Álvarez Bravo (3 April 1903 – 31 July 1993) was the first Mexican female photographer. She was first recognized by José Clemente Orozco for her contribution to photography and for preserving Mexican culture. She was born in Jalisco, but moved to Mexico City with her dad when her parents separated. After a decade of living with her dad in a large mansion, her father had died. She moved in with her half-brother, who sent her to boarding school. After completing a traditional education, she enrolled in the Escuela Nacional Preparatoria in 1922, where she met her lifelong friend, Frida Kahlo. A friendship with another of her childhood friends, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, blossomed into romance around the same time, and the two married in 1925. Her husband taught her photography and development techniques, and for nearly a decade she served as his assistant. As she sought to explore her own creativity and was unhappy in the marriage, the couple separated in 1934.
Beginning her career as a teacher, Álvarez took photographic assignments for magazines and newspapers, developing a reputation as one of the only women photojournalists working in Mexico City. She chose to portray subjects candidly, revealing deeper cultural and social significance rather than seeking newsworthy work. In 1935, she began cataloging photographs in the Department of Education and two years later was hired to run the photography workshops of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, where she remained until her retirement in 1971.
In addition to her contributions to advertising and photojournalism, Álvarez took many photographs of her artistic friends, and in 1951, opened the Galería de Arte Contemporáneo (Gallery of Contemporary Art) to promote their work. In 1953, at the Galería, she hosted the only exhibition of Frida Kahlo's works held in Mexico during the artist's life. From the late 1970s until her death in 1993, she gained international recognition for her body of work. Her photo archive is located at the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson, Arizona, United States.
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