Tina Modotti

(Italian, 1896–1942)

Tina Modotti was an Italian-born photographer known for her skillful use of composition and shadow. Her most famous images captured the milieu of Mexico City between World War I and World War II, including portraits of artists and intellectuals such as Frida Kahlo and her husband Diego Rivera. “What is important is to distinguish between good and bad photography,” she once explained. “By good is meant that photography which accepts all the limitations inherent in photographic technique and takes advantage of the possibilities and characteristics the medium offers. By bad photography is mean that which is done, one may say, with a kind of inferiority complex, with no appreciation of what photography itself offers.” Born Assunta Adelaide Luigia Modotti Mondini on August 16, 1896 in Udine, Italy, she emigrated to the United States in 1913 to live with her father in San Francisco. Modotti became involved in acting in Los Angeles during the early 1920s, and entered the circles of several artists including her future lover the photographer Edward Weston. In 1923, Modotti and Weston set out for Mexico City, established a photography studio upon arriving, and subsequently joined the Communist Party. Though Weston later returned to his wife in California, Modotti stayed in Mexico and became more involved in radical politics before being exiled in 1931. She stopped producing photographs after this time and in 1939 returned to Mexico under a false name. The artist died on January 4, 1942 in Mexico City, Mexico. Today, Modotti’s works are held in the collections of the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., among others.

Tina Modotti Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Tina Modotti (386 results)
Convent of Tepotzotlán (Stairs through arches)

Tina Modotti

Convent of Tepotzotlán (Stairs through arches)

Sale Date: April 29, 1999

Auction Closed

Diego Rivera mural: Arming the people, 1928–1929

Tina Modotti

Diego Rivera mural: Arming the people, 1928–1929

Sale Date: April 28, 1999

Auction Closed

Chapingo, 1928–1929

Tina Modotti

Chapingo, 1928–1929

Sale Date: April 28, 1999

Auction Closed

Worker reading 'El Machete' newspaper, 1927–1927

Tina Modotti

Worker reading 'El Machete' newspaper, 1927–1927

Sale Date: April 28, 1999

Auction Closed

Carnevale, 1926–1926

Tina Modotti

Carnevale, 1926–1926

Sale Date: April 26, 1999

Auction Closed

Composición, 1927–1927

Tina Modotti

Composición, 1927–1927

Sale Date: April 26, 1999

Auction Closed

Corrido de la revolucion - Diego Rivera , 1930–1939

Tina Modotti

Corrido de la revolucion - Diego Rivera , 1930–1939

Sale Date: October 5, 1998

Auction Closed

Jalopies before Diego Rivera murals,..., 1927–1927

Tina Modotti

Jalopies before Diego Rivera murals,..., 1927–1927

Sale Date: October 5, 1998

Auction Closed

Children from Colonia de la Bolsa, 1927–1928

Tina Modotti

Children from Colonia de la Bolsa, 1927–1928

Sale Date: April 8, 1998

Auction Closed

Portrait of Julio Antonio Mella, 1928–1928

Tina Modotti

Portrait of Julio Antonio Mella, 1928–1928

Sale Date: April 8, 1998

Auction Closed

Mural study, 1926–1926

Tina Modotti

Mural study, 1926–1926

Sale Date: April 7, 1998

Auction Closed

Chapingo (Mural study), 1926–1926

Tina Modotti

Chapingo (Mural study), 1926–1926

Sale Date: April 7, 1998

Auction Closed

The mother, 1925–1929

Tina Modotti

The mother, 1925–1929

Sale Date: April 6, 1998

Auction Closed

Ventiloquist, 1928–1930

Tina Modotti

Ventiloquist, 1928–1930

Sale Date: April 6, 1998

Auction Closed

Detail of a Diega Rivera mural

Tina Modotti

Detail of a Diega Rivera mural "The..., 1928–1928

Sale Date: April 6, 1998

Auction Closed

Jalopies before Diego Rivera murals,..., 1927–1927

Tina Modotti

Jalopies before Diego Rivera murals,..., 1927–1927

Sale Date: April 6, 1998

Auction Closed

Woman with a flag, 1928–1928

Tina Modotti

Woman with a flag, 1928–1928

Sale Date: November 8, 1997

Auction Closed

Puppet, pulquería, 1929–1929

Tina Modotti

Puppet, pulquería, 1929–1929

Sale Date: October 7, 1997

Auction Closed

The night of the poor, 1928–1928

Tina Modotti

The night of the poor, 1928–1928

Sale Date: October 7, 1997

Auction Closed

Children from Colonia de la Bolsa , 1927–1928

Tina Modotti

Children from Colonia de la Bolsa , 1927–1928

Sale Date: April 23, 1997

Auction Closed

Police puppets, 1929

Tina Modotti

Police puppets, 1929

Sale Date: April 19, 1997

Auction Closed

Entrance to the great patio at the National..., 1928

Tina Modotti

Entrance to the great patio at the National..., 1928

Sale Date: April 19, 1997

Auction Closed

Ventriloquist and dummy, 1930

Tina Modotti

Ventriloquist and dummy, 1930

Sale Date: April 18, 1997

Auction Closed

The Flagellation of Christ (detail), 1925–1927

Tina Modotti

The Flagellation of Christ (detail), 1925–1927

Sale Date: April 18, 1997

Auction Closed

English (US)

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