BIOGRAPHY
Graciela Iturbide married the architect
Manuel Rocha Diaz in 1962. She had three children from this marriage.
She studied cinema at the CUEC film school in the University of Mexico.
Iturbide's six year old daughter died in 1970; this led her to inner
search, which in turn led her to discover her interest in photography.
Between 1970 and 1971, Iturbide collaborated with famous Mexican photographer
Manuel Alvarez Bravo. Additionally, she had studied filmography at
Mexico's "Centro Unversitario de Estudios Cinematograficos",
a division of the UNAM university. While working with Alvarez Bravo,
she also learned photography techniques used by the celebrated photographer.
Along with Alvarez Bravo, Iturbide began to explore Mexico's indigenous
areas--Indigenous influence would surface later on in her career as
a photographer. In 1974, she received the Eugene Smith grant for humanitarian
photography, and a scholarship at the Guggenheim college.
In 1979, Iturbide was asked by a man to photograph his village. Interested
by the proposal, Iturbide released her first collection, titled "Mujer
Angel" ("Angel Woman") and shot at Mexico's portion
of the Sonoran desert. Her first experience as a photographer shaped
Iturbide's views on life, making her a strong supporter of feminism.
Some of the inspiration for her next work came from her support of
feminist causes. Her well known collection, "Señora de
Las Iguanas", ("Our Lady of the Iguanas") was shot
in Juchitan, Oaxaca, a city where women dominated town life. Her work
in Juchitan was not only about women, however: she also shot "Magnolia",
a photo of a man wearing a dress and looking at himself on a mirror.
It was "Magnolia" that has led many photography experts
to say that Iturbide also explored sexuality among Mexicans with her
work.
Graciela Iturbide liked Oaxaca, and in 1986, she returned to that
area for more photos.
Iturbide also worked in Argentina (during 1996), India (where she
shot another well known photo of hers, "Perros Perdidos",
or "Lost Dogs"), and the United States, where she did her
last known work, an untitled collection of photos shot in Texas.