This historically significant masterpiece sets an elite standard, establishing itself as a premier example of contemporary archival photography that captures the innovative, avant-garde essence of mid-century modernism. Shot in 1945 during Leo Matiz's most prolific creative period in Mexico, the horizontal composition isolates a powerful visual dialogue between human anatomy and mechanical engineering. The framing strips away all domestic or studio references, grounding the scene in an absolute, deep pitch-black void from which a masterfully rendered human hand emerges to steady a technical metal camera lens. Matiz completely rejects standard passive documentation, utilizing sharp chiaroscuro to model the skin, veins, and physical tension of the gripping fingers against the rigid geometry and crisp engraved inscriptions of the shutter casing. It represents an exceptional, museum-grade acquisition custom-tailored for selective fine art collections exploring 20th-century universal photography.
Signed in pencil lower left, "Leo Matiz" , Embossed stamp lower right, "Leo Matiz Foundation" / Verso is signed, titled, dated in pencil, "Leo Matiz, Hand on Camera, Mexico 1945, Selenium print, re-printed April 1990"
Black and white photographs that reveal the various facets and aesthetic searches of the legendary Colombian photographer, recognized as the creator of memorable realistic, abstract and avant-garde images. They turned Leo Matiz into one of the most original and innovative personalities of universal photography in the 20th century.
Add a powerful object of spatial reflection and a jewel of avant-garde photography to your private collection; acquire this contemporary archival photograph by Leo Matiz completely securely on our website.
Contemporary Archival Photography. Hand on the Camera Mexico, 1945. By Leo Matiz
Hand on the Camera, Mexico, 1945
From Black & White series
Selenium print
Dimensions: 12 H x 15 W in.
1945, re-printed April 1990
Unframed
Matiz was born in Aracataca, Colombia, in Garcia Márquez's Macondo, in 1917. His photography witnessed the most significant events in our history. Matiz also had important contributions in the fields of advertising, cinema, caricature, and the art market, the latter by founding the first art gallery in Bogotá, in which the work of Fernando Botero was exhibited for the first time. Matiz lived many years in Mexico in a period of incomparable intensity and enthusiasm. The photographer Matiz has been internationally recognized and was decorated by the French government as "Chevalier des Arts et des Letters" in 1995. He also received the "Filo D'Argento Award" in Florence, Italy, and the government of Colombia paid tribute to him in 1988. Matiz died in 1998, but his work will endure for posterity. The work of Leo Matiz is exhibited at the MoMA in New York.
