The Getty is shining a spotlight on one of the richest photographic traditions in the world. Its brand-new bilingual book, Instante/revelación: Moments in Mexican Photography (J. Paul Getty Museum, $24.95), brings together nearly 150 photographs made between 1920 and 2017 by artists who shaped, and were shaped by, Mexico’s vibrant visual culture.
The volume gathers work by legendary figures such as Lola and Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Graciela Iturbide, and Pablo Ortiz Monasterio — artists bound by friendship, shared inspiration, and a spirit of creative exchange. From iconic portraits of cultural giants like Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo to landscapes, architecture, flora and fauna, and tender scenes of everyday life, the images trace how these photographers learned from and inspired one another. An illustrated essay reveals how photo books and magazines carried these powerful images to audiences around the world.
The book takes its spark from a memory of Nobel laureate Octavio Paz, who recalled that seeing three photographs by Manuel Álvarez Bravo in his youth was one of his first great artistic revelations. That same sense of discovery fills every page — a joyful invitation to see Mexico through the lenses that defined an era.
Photo: The Getty
