The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of August 16, 2026

A vertically oriented photograph in high-contrast black and white captures an optician's storefront. On our left, a circular sign projects a large, unblinking eye framed by curved Spanish text. Mirrored and reversed block letters across the top and windows overlap with multiple reflections of smaller eyes peering out from deep shadows. The composition creates a surreal, layered texture of text and gazes through stark white highlights and dark, matte grays.

Parabola optica

1931, printed 1974

Manuel Álvarez Bravo

(Mexican, 1902–2002)
Mexico
gelatin silver print
Gift of Alan and Monah L. Gettner 2023.197.4
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

It is the artist’s personal outlook and cultural heritage that unify the disparate subjects photographed by Manuel Alvarez Bravo.

Description

Manuel Alvarez Bravo sought to represent the viewpoint of Mexico’s Indigenous cultural heritage and its peasants as he chronicled their encounter with the country’s rapid modernization. His work is often considered Surrealist, but he never formally identified with that art movement. The odd juxtapositions, occasional humor, and quixotic viewpoint of his images may derive from growing up in a culture that contains both Indigenous and European traditions.
  • ?–2023
    Monah Gettner, Hyperion Press, Ltd., New York, NY, given to The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
    December 4, 2023–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • {{cite web|title=Parabola optica|url=false|author=Manuel Álvarez Bravo|year=1931, printed 1974|access-date=16 August 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2023.197.4