Leo Matiz Colombian, 1917-1998

Biography
View works. Leo Matiz, Metal Coil, Colombia, c. 1960s
Metal Coil, Colombia, c. 1960s
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Leo Matiz documented more than 60 years of history in photographs. His work includes photographs of rural and urban landscapes, abstract forms found in architecture and nature, narrative photographs of native Latin Americans, and portraits of well-known individuals in the fields of art and politics.

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A frequent traveler since his teenage years, Matiz started his career as a photographic-reporter working for magazines in Columbia. Then he traveled to Panama, traversed Central America on foot and went on to work in Mexico. Matiz lived in Mexico for approximately ten years from 1940 on and collaborated with numerous artists, such as Manuel Alvarez Bravo and Gabriel Figueroa, on Mexican film projects and David Alfaro Siqueiros on the mural "Cuauhtemoc against the Myth." He also captured the mystique of Frida Kahlo by characterizing her strength and sensitivity in a number of photographs, some taken in the Blue House, others in her daily life.

 

In 1948, Matiz moved to New York City and worked as a photo-journalist for Life magazine and the United Nations, documenting an intense conflict in the Middle East. During these assignments he witnessed and photographed assassinations and shootings, while experiencing his own personal pain and suffering. By the end of the 1940s, Leo Matiz was presented the award for Best Photo Journalist of Mexico and was also considered one of the ten best living photographers in the world. Later, Matiz opened the first studio/gallery in Bogotá, Colombia, which soon became an integral part of the bohemian scene for artists, writers and intellectuals. In 1951, Matiz launched the premiere exhibition of paintings by a 19 year old artist, Fernando Botero, and photographed his first paintings, strongly influenced by Pablo Picasso.

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Matiz was honored by the French government in 1995 with a Knighthood of Arts and Letters for his extraordinary contribution to the art of photography. Matiz died in 1998 leaving us thousands of images as a contribution to the historic and artistic legacy of photography. In the last decade, there have been numerous international exhibitions of his work, among them a solo exhibition at the Art Museum of the Americas in Washington D.C. His work is now in the collection of numerous museums and institutions.

Artworks
  • Black and white photograph of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera posing in front of a tile-covered wall inside the Blue House
    Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera at the Casa Azul, 1945
  • Black and white photograph of Frida Kahlo in traditional Tehuana dress with her hands clasped and leaning against a bi-colored wall outside the Blue House in Mexico City
    Frida Kahlo at the Blue House, 1945
  • Black and white photograph of artist Frida Kahlo in front of an exterior wall of her home and studio, the Blue House, in between shadows cast by trees
    Frida Kahlo at the Blue House (tree shadows), 1945
  • Black and white photograph of Frida Kahlo in traditional Tehuana dress leaning against a bicolored wall with her hands on her hips outside the Blue House in Mexico City
    Frida Kahlo at the Blue House, 1945
  • Black and white photograph from a low vantage point of Frida Kahlo looking into the distance with her hair braided and decorated with flowers
    Frida Kahlo looking up, 1945
  • Black and white photograph of Frida Kahlo in traditional Tehuana dress leaning against the exterior wall of the Blue House in Mexico City with her hand grazing her face
    Frida Kahlo at the Blue House, Coyoacán, Mexico City, 1945
  • Black and white photograph of Frida Kahlo in traditional Tehuana dress leaning against a bicolored wall next to a plant on the steps outside the Blue House in Mexico City
    Frida Kahlo at the Blue House, on the steps with plant, 1945
  • Black and white photograph of Frida Kahlo leaning against a car and looking up
    Frida Kahlo looking up, 1945
  • Black and white photograph of the silhouette of a fisherman casting a net off of a boat in Magdalena, Colombia
    Fisherman, Magdalena, Colombia, 1939
  • Black and white photograph of Spanish bull fighter Manolete posing stoically in full bullfighting gear
    Bullfighter Manolete, c. 1940s
  • Black and white photograph of a hand around a camera lens against a dark background
    Hand on camera, 1945
  • Black and white photograph of David Alfaro Siqueiros bare-legged and shirtless grasping a tree trunk against his back and elevated off the ground in preparation for his mural, "Cuauhtemoc against the myth"
    David Alfaro Siqueiros posing for the Mural, “Cuauhtemoc Against the Myth”, 1946
  • Black and white photograph of Leo Matiz speaking with artist Fernando Botero and politicians Carpena and Arboleda
    Leo with Botero, Carpena, and Arboleda, 1945
  • Black and white photograph of musician Louis Armstrong wearing a bowtie and sitting on a chair while making a funny face at the camera
    Louis Armstrong, 1960
  • Black and white photograph of the the silhouettes of several Macondo Circus Acrobats performing inside a large circus tent in Colombia
    Macondo Circus Acrobats, Colombia, 1960
  • Black and white photograph of artist Marc Chagall working on a painting in a studio setting in Mexico City
    Marc Chagall, Mexico City, 1946
  • Sepia-colored black and white photograph of actress Maria Felix taken from slightly above
    María Félix (Mexican Actress), Mexico, 1945
  • Black and white photograph of a metal coil and the shadows it casts against the ground
    Metal Coil, Colombia, c. 1960s
  • Black and white photograph of a naked man lying face down on a wooden floor under a spotlight, with his legs elevated on a step, and wrists crossed over one another
    Model posing for David Alfaro Siqueiros’ Mural, “Cuauhtemoc Against the Myth'', 1946
  • Black and white photograph of a man walking amidst a multitude of palm hats arranged on the ground, taken from a high vantage point
    Palm Hats, 1945
  • Black and white photograph taken at a diagonal angle of Mexican composer Agustin Lara stretching his face with both hands as he holds a lit cigarette between two fingers
    Photo of composer Agustín Lara, c. 1950s
  • Black and white photograph of a painting of a nude woman sitting on a chair, titled "Nude with Canvas and Chair" by Fernando Botero
    Photograph of a painting by Fernando Botero, Nude with Canvas and Chair, Colombia, 1951
  • Black and white photograph of a pair of hands holding a small shrub, with soil in the background
    Reforestation
  • Black and white close-up photograph of a rope coiled in a cylinder shape
    Rope, c. 1960s
  • Black and white photograph of a faraway ship on the horizon as seen through the crook of a metal hook in the foreground
    The Anchor. Santa Marta, Colombia, 1952
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