English
Museum Kunst Haus Wien in Vienna hosts a historical exhibition of the work of Tina Modotti, noted Italian-American photographer. The exhibit runs from July 1 until 7 November. It will include her famous series “Women of Tehuantepec,” as well as studies of plants, pictures and rare photos.
The path of Tina Modotti, who was born in 1896 in Udine, Italy, was filled with intrigue and suspense. She died in 1942 in Mexico, after having crossed the world to create art and to promote her radical political ideals. As a teenager she had immigrated to the United States with her family, and it was there she would meet Edward Weston. She was his model, assistant and lover for many years; perhaps part of the reason her work did not receive the attention it deserved for many years. Art critics dismissed her as just another muse. Today, we recognize that she was much more.
For a time, she worked in silent films, and often played the femme fatale role, but what made her famous were her pictures, and her relationship with Weston. Modotti and Weston travelled to Mexico in 1922, where they met such figures as Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, and set up a studio, where they worked on remarkable modern photographic collaborations with an anthropological approach. When Weston returned to the U.S., she furthered her political involvement, and became a member of the Mexican Communist Party in 1927.
She was expelled from Mexico in 1930 as a result of the anticommunist campaign, and from there she went to Berlin, Paris, Moscow and Spain, to continue her political activism. Madonna is a big fan of Modotti´s work, and it’s possible that part of the re-examination of her work is due to the star’s support. Do not miss this retrospective of the work of one of the most fascinating women of the 20th century. Rent apartments in Vienna and get ready for a revolution.
