Manuel Álvarez Bravo

Mexican · 1902–2002 · Photographer

Manuel Álvarez Bravo was a Mexican artistic photographer and one of the most important figures in 20th century Latin American photography. He was born and raised in Mexico… (Wikipedia)

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108lots offered2007–2026years recorded79%sold (82)$5kSign up free to seemedian price

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Record prices

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Retrato de lo Eterno (Portrait of the Eternal)Phillips · Apr 2017$106,250≈ £85,417≈ €99,756Sign up to see
Los Obstaculos (The Obstacles)Phillips · Apr 2017$50,000≈ £40,196≈ €46,944Sign up to see
Los Agachados (The crouched ones)Phillips · Oct 2017$43,750≈ £33,054≈ €37,225Sign up to see

Manuel Álvarez Bravo’s highest prices recorded at auction, ranked in US dollars at each sale-date exchange rate and shown in the currency of the sale (with the buyer’s premium where the house publishes it).

Coming up at auction

2 in forthcoming sales · bid with the house

Listed from the auction houses’ own websites; estimates are the houses’ own, not results.

ArtSell has recorded 104 auction results for Manuel Álvarez Bravo between 2007 and 2026, of which 82 sold (79%). A further 4 lots were offered at auction without a published result. Recorded sale prices range from $567Sign up free to see to $106kSign up free to see. The highest price recorded is $106kSign up free to see for Retrato de lo Eterno (Portrait of the Eternal) at Phillips in April 2017. The most common medium is photographs (102 lots). Most results come from Phillips (53), Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) (15) and Bonhams (12).

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104 results · page 1 of 3

Isabel Villasenor, Mexico
Photograph
9¼ h x 7⅜ w in (23 x 19 cm)
Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) · Jul 30, 2026 · Lot 197
$1,280≈ £956≈ €1,115Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $1,200–View at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) ↗
Brazo con margaritas, c. 1940
Photograph · ed. 4/8
11 3/4 x 9 1/8 in. (29.8 x 23.2 cm.)
Bonhams · Jul 14, 2026 · Lot 103
$960≈ £717≈ €842Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $1,000–1,500View at Bonhams ↗
Retrato de lo Eterno (Portrait of the Eternal) (from 'Platinum Portfolio'), 1935
Photograph
9 1/8 x 7 in. (23.2 x 17.8 cm.)
Bonhams · Jul 14, 2026 · Lot 67
$3,840≈ £2,869≈ €3,367Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $2,000–2,500View at Bonhams ↗
Caballo de Feria (Fairground Horse), c. 1975
Photograph
11 3/8 x 11 1/4 in. (28.9 x 28.6 cm.)
Bonhams · Jul 14, 2026 · Lot 99
$1,536≈ £1,148≈ €1,347Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $1,000–1,500View at Bonhams ↗
Un poco alegre y graciosa (Somewhat Gay and Graceful), 1942
Photograph
7 x 9 3/4 in. (17.8 x 24.8 cm)
Phillips · Apr 11, 2026 · Lot 17
$1,290≈ £959≈ €1,102Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $1,200–1,800View at Phillips ↗
Frida Kahlo
Photograph
9⅝ h x 7¼ w in (24 x 18 cm)
Rago Auctions · Dec 11, 2025 · Lot 101
$9,900≈ £7,396≈ €8,451Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $3,000–View at Rago Auctions ↗
El Ensueño
Photograph
9⅝ h x 7⅛ w in (24 x 18 cm)
Rago Auctions · Nov 4, 2025 · Lot 254
$3,810≈ £2,916≈ €3,316Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $4,000–View at Rago Auctions ↗
Niño Maya de Tulúm
Photograph
7½ h x 9½ w in (19 x 24 cm)
Rago Auctions · Nov 4, 2025 · Lot 256
$1,270≈ £972≈ €1,105Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $2,000–View at Rago Auctions ↗
Frida Kahlo with Globe (in Manuel Alvarez Bravo's studio), c. 1935
Photograph
9 5/8 x 7 1/4 in. (24.4 x 18.4 cm.)
Bonhams · Oct 10, 2025 · Lot 189
$6,144≈ £4,625≈ €5,311Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $3,000–5,000View at Bonhams ↗
Los Agachados (The Crouched Ones), 1934
Photograph · ed. 7/75
7 1/4 x 9 1/2 in. (18.4 x 24.1 cm)
Phillips · Oct 9, 2025 · Lot 233
$9,030≈ £6,753≈ €7,777Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $5,000–7,000View at Phillips ↗

Also offered, result not published (4)

Lots by Manuel Álvarez Bravo that were offered at auction where the house did not publish whether they sold. Not counted in any statistics.

Manuel Álvarez Bravo photographs (102)

Manuel Álvarez Bravo: quick facts

What is the highest price paid for a work by Manuel Álvarez Bravo at auction?

$106,250Sign up free to see, for Retrato de lo Eterno (Portrait of the Eternal) at Phillips (April 2017) — the highest price in ArtSell’s records.

What is a typical auction price for Manuel Álvarez Bravo?

The median sale price is $5kSign up free to see across 82 priced sales. Prices vary by medium, size and date — see the price chart & statistics.

How many works by Manuel Álvarez Bravo have sold at auction?

82 of 104 recorded lots sold between 2007 and 2026. 4 further lots were offered with no published result and are not counted.

Which auction houses sell Manuel Álvarez Bravo?

Phillips, Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) and Bonhams account for the most recorded results. Phillips · Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) · Bonhams

About Manuel Álvarez Bravo

Manuel Álvarez Bravo was a Mexican artistic photographer and one of the most important figures in 20th century Latin American photography. He was born and raised in Mexico City. While he took art classes at the Academia Nacional de Bellas Artes, his photography is self-taught. His career spanned from the late 1920s to the 1990s with its artistic peak between the 1920s and 1950s. His hallmark as a photographer was to capture images of the ordinary but in ironic or Surrealistic ways. His early work was based on European influences, but he was soon influenced by the Mexican muralism movement and the general cultural and political push at the time to redefine Mexican identity. He rejected the picturesque, employing elements to avoid stereotyping. He had numerous exhibitions of his work, worked in the Mexican cinema and established Fondo Editorial de la Plástica Mexicana publishing house. He won numerous awards for his work, mostly after 1970. His work was recognized by inclusion on UNESCO's Memory of the World International Register in 2017.

From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.