Daisy Ascher Oved (25 April 1944–31 March 2003) was a Mexican photographer. Much of her work consists of portraits, including of Mexican cultural figures such as

José Luis Cuevas José Luis Cuevas (February 26, 1934 – July 3, 2017) was a Mexican artist, he often worked as a painter, writer, draftsman, engraver, illustrator, and printmaker. Cuevas was one of the first to challenge the then dominant Mexican muralism ...

and

Juan Rulfo Juan Nepomuceno Carlos Pérez Rulfo Vizcaíno, best known as Juan Rulfo ( ; 16 May 1917 – 7 January 1986), was a Mexican writer, screenwriter, and photographer. He is best known for two literary works, the 1955 novel ''Pedro Páramo'', and th ...

Biography

Daisy Ascher was born in Mexico City in 1944 to Samuel Ascher and Luisa Oved. She studied at Universidá Motolinía and at Universidá Anáhuac. She died of cancer on 31 March 2003, at 58.

Education

She studied art at Motolinía University and Universidad Anáhuac, and also studied with the Photographic Club of Mexico. She published ten books of her photography, including ''Formas Silenciosas'' and ''Cien retratos por Daisy Ascher''. Ascher's influences included Eugene Atget, Alfred Stieglitz,

Henri Cartier-Bresson Henri Cartier-Bresson (; 22 August 1908 – 3 August 2004) was a French humanist photographer considered a master of candid photography, and an early user of 35mm film. He pioneered the genre of street photography, and viewed photography as cap ...

, and

Manuel Alvarez Bravo Manuel may refer to: People * Manuel (name) * Manuel (Fawlty Towers), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Charlie Manuel, manager of the Philadelphia Phillies * Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire * M ...

as well as

Richard Avedon Richard Avedon (May 15, 1923 – October 1, 2004) was an American fashion and portrait photographer. He worked for ''Harper's Bazaar'', ''Vogue'' and ''Elle'' specializing in capturing movement in still pictures of fashion, theater and danc ...

Yousuf Karsh Yousuf Karsh, FRPS (December 23, 1908 – July 13, 2002) was a Canadian-Armenian photographer known for his portraits of notable individuals. He has been described as one of the greatest portrait photographers of the 20th century. An Armenian ...

and

Sam Haskins Samuel Joseph Haskins (11 November 1926 – 26 November 2009), was a British photographer, born and raised in South Africa. He started his career in Johannesburg and moved to London in 1968. Haskins is best known for his contribution to in-came ...

, all of them dedicated to portraits.

Work

Ascher was part of the Photographic Club of México and ventured into various themes and photographic genres making photographs for magazines such as ''Cosmopolitan'', ''Vanidaes'' and ''Foto Mundo''. She was recognised for her work by Atget, Stiglitz, Strand, Alvarez Bravo and Cartier-Bresson. She was known for her portrait studies of

and

. Her book “Revealing José Luis Cuevas” took her seven years to complete and is considered one of her best known works. Among the exhibitions her work appeared in was a large touring exhibition of Mexican photography entitled ''Cofradía de Luz'' in 1996. Mexican historian Fernando Benítez (1912-2000) wrote of Ascher, "Daisy masks and unmasks. Daisy armed with her magic eye, penetrates, bathes in light, covers with shadows, stands out and vanishes, and leaves us a gallery of amazing ghosts."

Selected publications

* ''Revealing José Luis Cueves´'', Photography by Daisy Ascher, prologues by Marta Traba, Ulalume González de Lleón and José Luis Cueves. Mexico, 1979 * ''One hundred portrait'', Méxicu: INBA, 1981 * ''Silent Forms''. Photography: Daisy Ascher, presentation by Juan José Arreola, Omar Gasca, José Luis Cueves, drawings by José Luis Cueves, 1983 * ''Rulfo, Les mios Imáxenes and mine Death''. Photographs by Daisy Ascher, text by Fernando Benítez, Eduardo Matos Moctezuma, drawings by José Luis Cueves, México: Socicultur-DDF, 1987 * ''Chalco: Solidaridá Valley''. Photographs of Daisy Ascher, proofs of: Fernando Benítez, Juan Rulfo, José Luis Cueves, Miguel Bonasso, Fernando Bon Abá, Marisol Salmones, Ánxelles González Gamio, drawings by José Luis Cueves. Méxicu, CEN-PRI, 1990 * ''The Skin of les Parés''. Photographs by Daisy Ascher and Gilberto Chen, text by Luis Donaldo Colosio, Fernando Benítez, Andres Henestrosa, drawings by José Luis Cueves, Méxicu: PRI, 1991 * ''San Miguel de Allende''. Photographs by Daisy Ascher and Gilberto Chen, presentation by Luis Donaldo Colosio, text by Fernando Benítez, watercolors by José Luis Cueves, Mexico: Sedesol, 1993 * ''The Máxicu World of Juan Rulfo''. Photographs by Daisy Ascher, text by Luis Donaldo Colosio and Juan Rulfo, México: Conaculta / INBA / Sedesol, 1993

References

1944 births 2003 deaths Place of death missing Artists from Mexico City 20th-century Mexican artists Portrait photographers 20th-century Mexican women artists 20th-century Mexican photographers Mexican women photographers 20th-century women photographers {{Mexico-artist-stub