Tina Modotti: Radical Photographer [Paperback]

Margaret Hooks (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 20, 2000

This is the definitive portrayal of the brilliant, iconoclastic woman who throughout her life (1896 1942) oscillated between her passion for her art and her fervor for radical politics. Tracing Modotti from her early years in Italy to 1920s Hollywood, then to vibrant Mexico City and on to Berlin and Moscow, and eventually to war-torn Spain, Hooks magnificently portrays Modotti's tempestuous life her romantic, artistic, and political liaisons with Edward Weston, Diego Rivera, and Pablo Neruda. Incorporating interviews with Modotti's contemporaries and new archival material, Tina Modotti dramatically revives a fascinating life and secures Modotti's rightful place alongside Frida Kahlo and Georgia O'Keeffe as one of the most accomplished women artists of our era.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An Italian-born film star, Modatti learned photography with her lover Edward Weston in California during the early 1920s. She went on to develop a camera career of her own; she acquired several additional lovers, including Diego Rivera, in Mexico City's prevailing ferment of avant-garde art and politics; and, during the next 20 years, she became a major Communist revolutionary figure in Germany, Moscow and Spain. She was accused and exonerated of the assassination of one revolutionary lover; she risked her life to carry funds from Moscow to political prisoners in Romania; and she endured hardship, privation and deadly bombardments in Madrid and Barcelona. Repatriated to Mexico, she died in 1942 at the age of 46. Many of Modotti's portraits of celebrities and of common people as well as her journalistic photos are included here, along with characteristically simple, strong compositions--massed straw hats of workers on parade, telegraph wires akimbo, the heart of a calla lily. One of her studies, Roses, Mexico , fetched $165,000 at a Sotheby's auction in 1991. Hooks is a freelance foreign correspondent living in Mexico.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

This detailed study of the Italian-born photographer and political activist seeks to gather recognition for Modotti (1896-1942), who has been overshadowed by her lovers Edward Weston and Diego Rivera. Having acted in Hollywood silent films and theater, she accompanied Weston to Mexico, serving as his apprentice, model, and lover. Her images of Mexico's workers, its poverty and political unrest, and her abstract depictions of flowers and interior architecture have recently been sold at record-setting prices. In 1924, she joined the Mexican Communist party, supporting antifascist ideals. When a revolutionary leader with whom she was passionately involved was assassinated, Modotti devoted the remainder of her life to communism. Despite a bothersome journalistic style, Hooks ( Guatemalan Women Speak , EPICA, 1991) conveys the dramatic life of an extraordinary woman. Recommended for large collections.
- Joan Levin, MLS, Chicago
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (September 20, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306809818
• ISBN-13: 978-0306809811
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,044,895 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Woman of many lives, September 19, 2011

By 

Jeaninne M. Kato "JuFrida" (Rocklin, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Tina Modotti: Radical Photographer (Paperback)

I happened upon my interest in Tina Modotti as a result of studying mid-20th century Mexican artists. Like Frida, Tina was a woman light years ahead of her time. A previous review of this book included the comment that the author, Margaret Hooks, didn't personalize this story enough. I disagree. I found this account spellbinding because Tina's many lives speak for themselves; I respected the way Hooks provided the facts so Tina's story could unfold on the merit of its own brilliance. Without giving away all the juicy tidbits of this fascinating life, suffice it to say, Tina began as a poor Italian immigrant who landed in San Francisco with her fractured family. She morphed into an actress during the Golden Age of Hollywood; became one of the world's most renowned photographers in Mexico (thanks to her lover, the great Edward Westin); and, traversed the globe as an active Communist against Fascism during World War II. Learning about her surrealistic life in such detail (with much I have purposefully left out), had me thinking about her story in between times when I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Her photographs alone will make you feel deeply. As cliche as my next statement may be, I have to say it: "Tina Modotti: Radical Photographer" is a must read.

10 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A passionate, courageous, and inspiring woman!, December 31, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Tina Modotti: Photographer and Revolutionary (Hardcover)

Tina Modotti was a restless soul on an journey through art, politics, and history. A courageous fighter and humanitarian until the end. Tina is a true heroine with a strong passion for life, and love for photography.