Part of a vibrant scene of scholars, artists, and political activists in Mexico City in the 1920s, Modotti circulated her photographs internationally in leftist magazines and newspapers. Having joined the Communist Party in 1927, the artist expressed her political commitments in representations that speak to the injustices of inequality and the potential of working-class power through organizing. But she also produced more poetic, contemplative images of objects that embodied intellectual and creative labor.
2020
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Tina Modotti
Italian, 1896–1942 34 works onlineTina Modotti’s photographs blend formal rigor with social awareness. The Italian-born artist immigrated to the United States when she was 16.
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Palladium print
Palladium prints are made on paper coated with the chemical element palladium. Introduced during World War I as a less-expensive alternative to platinum paper (which was in short supply), palladium prints were readily available throughout the 1930s.
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