Tina Modotti

Tina Modotti could not do much with the term art or artist. She felt that this designation was an unfortunate use and always wanted to be understood only as a photographer.

But her pictures were often quite spectacular. Photographs of furrowed faces or staircases that reflected abstract shapes were part of her repertoire. Born on August 16, 1896, Tina Modotti lived with her parents in Udine in humble circumstances. Her father was a convinced socialist and worked as a mechanic. Her mother was a seamstress. Already at the age of twelve Tina Modotti had to contribute to the livelihood of the family of eight. She took a job as a factory worker, which in the course of time took her to Francisco. After hours, she acted in performances in an amateur theater. With her outward appearance, Tina Modotti captivated many people. Among them was the painter Robo Richey. She got into a steady relationship with him and moved to Los Angeles. Their life maxim aligned the two according to the principles of freedom and self-realization. From that point on, the staunch bohemians set their sights on enjoying life to the fullest.

The all-round talent Tina Modotti managed a first exclamation mark in the silent movie The Tiger's Coat. Once again, the beautiful Italian girl made numerous men's hearts beat faster. The photographer Edward Weston was extremely enchanted by her. He not only wanted to photograph the creative personality but also to get close to her. A passionate affair was the result. The painter Robo Richey was disappointed and left for Mexico. Tina followed him a little later, but by then the artist had already died of smallpox. But the young woman was extremely taken with the Central American country and therefore settled with Weston in Mexico City. New friendships developed with the painters Diego Rivera, Alfaro Siqueiros and Frida Kahlo. Tina Modotti felt the urge to get behind the camera and learn the craft of photography from the bend. Soon after, she opened a photography studio.

In 1927, Tina Modotti joined the Communist Party (CP). Her photographs depict demonstrating farm workers, Indian women and children, and modern industry. In an impressive way, the photographer expressed the revolutionary mood of departure. Symbols of the Mexican Revolution such as the cartridge belt, corncob, sickle and guitar played an extremely important role in her photography. Her later companion, the Cuban revolutionary Antonio Mella, was shot dead in the street. The government increasingly targeted leftist foreigners after an assassination attempt on the president. In 1930, the controversial photographer was expelled from Mexico. First Tina Modotti moved to Berlin and then to Moscow. She stopped her artistic career and worked for the Red Aid in Poland, France and Spain. For unexplained reasons, Modotti died of heart failure during a taxi ride in 1942.