German born Walter Reuter (January 4, 1906) came to Mexico in 1942, after first going to Spain, fleeing World War II. Since I missed him in January, I will write about him today! Growing up, he first desired to be a dancer or an actor, but failing to find work and interested in politics and documentation, he became a self taught photographer after purchasing a used camera. He was imprisoned in camps twice and escaped both times, finally making it to Mexico. He became a photojournalist who documented primarily indigenous people, taking over 35,000 photos of at least twenty varieties of ethnicities.
Reuter is credited with the introduction of modern photojournalism to Mexico. In addition to his photos he also created full length films, documentaries and dramatic films. It is estimated he accumulated at least 97,000 negatives over his career. Although not necessarily a fine artist in the classical sense, Reuter is recognized as such for his contribution to the arts community. He was a member of the Salon de la Plastica Mexicana and an annual award for photography was established in his name.
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