Portrait of Tina Modotti

Currently not on view

Portrait of Tina Modotti

1926

José Diego María Rivera (Mexican, 1886–1957)

Best known for her romantic life as a "femme fatale" actress as well as a passionate political activist, Tina Modotti was a model for Diego Rivera's mural program in the chapel of the Universidad Autónoma at Chapingo during the brief but important period between 1923 and 1930, when she lived in Mexico with the photographer Edward Weston. During these years, Modotti belonged to a group of artists interested in forging a new art based upon Mexican ancient and popular traditions. She ran Weston's studio and became a photographer in her own right, creating clear, sympathetic images of village people and folk art objects. This portrait drawing is based upon Weston's photograph Tina Modotti Reciting Poetry (1924).

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

Portrait of Tina Modotti

Date:

1926

Artist:

José Diego María Rivera (Mexican, 1886–1957)

Medium:

Black chalk on tan laid paper

Dimensions:

Sheet: 19 1/8 x 12 3/8 inches (48.6 x 31.4 cm)

Classification:

Drawings

Credit Line:

Purchased with the Lola Downin Peck Fund from the Carl and Laura Zigrosser Collection, 1976

Accession Number:

1976-97-89

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Currently not on view