Graciela Iturbide

May 15, 2008

"The unconscious obsession that we photographers have is that wherever we go we want to find the theme that we carry inside ourselves."—Graciela Iturbide

The work of the great Mexican photographer, Graciela Iturbide, is very special. I find most fascinating the ethnic portraits reflecting her own people and culture of Mexico. These images are not only beautiful, but they hold the essence of great photography: the power to amaze. From the influence of perhaps the most celebrated Latin American photographer, Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Graciela has become on its own a very influential artist. Her work was recognized recently as the winner of the Hasselblad Foundation International Award in Photography for 2008.

"I think you can see Graciela Iturbide in all of my photographs. I feel that photography is a regard within a regard—between the gaze of the photographer and the gaze of the subject the image becomes a reflection of the person taking the picture." - Graciela Iturbide

A good way to experience her work is to look at this book. This book combines together Iturbide's most expressive work, including select self-portraits. On the web there are some galleries with a limited number of images like in art-net and the Hasselblad gallery. Unfortunately the online galleries are just just a brief sample of the vast work of Gabriella.