Foreword by Vince Aletti
A Respect for Light: The Latin American Photographs 1974-2008, his magnum opus, presents the full breadth of the artist's work, culled from over three decades of travel in sixteen different countries. The book showcases Algaze's deep appreciation and understanding of the nuances of light—sunlight pouring in through church windows, illuminating a pair of teacups on a café table, casting late-afternoon shadows on a cobblestoned street. The Los Angeles Times describes Algaze's vision as one that "crystallizes experience as deftly as a poet. His photographs are remarkable for their concentrated richness, exquisite timing and finely tuned sense of rhythm, pattern and texture."
About the Authors:
Mario Algaze was born in Havana, Cuba in 1947. In 1960, one year after the end of the Cuban Revolution, Algaze and his family relocated to Miami, where he later studied art at Miami Dade College. Learning photography in 1970 opened up his world to extensive travels documenting the land and people of sixteen different Latin American countries. His portraits of celebrities and other artists from this time period were published in magazines such as Vanidades and Zoo World. In 1999, he returned to Cuba for the first time since his original departure. The photographer has received fellowships from the United Nations and the National Endowment for the Arts. His work has been featured in more than fifty solo and group exhibitions across the United States and has been collected by institutions such as the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston and the Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego. When Algaze is not travelling, he resides in Miami with his wife.
Vince Aletti is one of the foremost photography critics of our time. He has spent the last forty years studying, curating, and reporting on culture. He regularly reviews photography exhibitions for The New Yorker and Photograph Magazine. His work has also appeared in Aperture, Art + Auction, and photowork. Aletti was the art editor of the Village Voice from 1994 to 2005 and the paper’s photography critic for twenty years. In 2005, he won the International Center of Photography’s Infinity Award for writing. He lives in New York City.
ISBN: 978-0-9913419-6-2 \ 176 pages;10.25 x 11" \ hardcover \ 128 quadrotone photographs