Los Tesoros de Museo Nacional de Mexico.

Aztec sculpture. Initially self-taught, Manuel Alvarez Bravo (1902-2002) developed his eye by studying foreign and local photography journals, where he first encountered the work of Edward Weston and Tina Modotti, who came to Mexico in 1923. Alvarez Bravo and Modotti met, and she introduced him to Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and other Mexican avant-garde artists. She also encouraged him to send photographs to Weston.

Alvarez Bravo's formative years took place during the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920), the aftermath of which prompted a national search for identity. In the face of his country's rapid modernisation, Alvarez Bravo became increasingly interested in representing and preserving aspects of the Mexican people's cultural heritage and indigenous roots. These photographs of Aztec sculpture in the Museo Nacional de Mexico are accompanied by Benjamin Péret's introduction in Spanish and English, in which he writes:

'All Aztec art shows, and the magnificent photographs of Manuel Alvarez Bravo prove, the unconscious protest of man against the destiny that his gods prepare for him... In fact, the art of the Aztecs was on a higher plane than their habits... The gulf between the art and customs of a people still subsists, is perhaps even deeper, for the entire Aztec people participated in artistic creation, whereas in our own day the civilised nations are often incapable of even appreciating art.'

First edition; (194 x 153 mm, 7¾ x 6 in); text by Péret in Spanish and English, 22 photographs printed in relief halftone, 1 on the title-page, 1 on the portfolio cover, 20 are mounted on loose sheets, occasional minor spotting; original card folder printed in imitation of title-page with integral black folding flaps, lightly marked, light wear, an excellent copy in a custom slipcase; [viii]pp + [20] leaves.