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Tampa Museum Of Art Announces Features Manuel Carrillo.

Tampa Museum Of Art’s Manuel Carrillo: Mi Querido México features 45 enchanting and evocative photographs from the Bank of America Collection. The exhibition reveals the warmth of Carrillo’s personality and his love for his subject matter. Known as “El Maestro Méxicano” (The Mexican Master) on both sides of the border, Manuel Carrillo was born in Mexico in 1906 and died at the age of 83 in 1989. Although Carrillo didn’t embrace photography until later in his life, it was clear what subjects were closest to his heart from the first time he used his camera to pursue his art: his homeland and its people, especially those in rural areas, children, the elderly and their beloved animals. Though he spent years in the United States before returning to Mexico, he didn’t approach his subjects with an outsider’s curiosity, but with compassion, respect and gentle humor.

In the mid-twentieth century, the sociopolitical landscape of post-Revolutionary Mexico was that of great change, and of a national effort toward establishing a unified Mexican cultural identity. Photographs helped to form a visual language that contributed to the reinforcement and the formation of its national character – and Carrillo’s imagery was a contributing force as to how Mexico saw itself and how it was perceived by the rest of the world. Carrillo builds upon the works of his predecessor Manuel Álvarez Bravo and renowned American photographers, such as Paul Strand, Edward Weston and Brett Weston, who took up residence in Mexico for years at a time. A small selection of works by photographers who influenced Carrillo will also be on view in Mi Querido México, including the aforementioned, as well as Ansel Adams and Edward Steichen, whose output helped shape the aesthetics and politics of Carrillo’s work.

The Museum opens daily at 11 a.m. Hours of operation are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Fridays from 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. The Museum’s phone number is 813.274.8130 and the website is www.tampamuseum.org. The Museum’s address is 120 W. Gasparilla Plaza. Tampa, FL 33602.