Delilah Montoya Photography
b. 1955
Although she was born in Texas and lived in Nebraska into her twenties, photographer and printmaker Delilah Montoya has deep roots in northern New Mexico through her mother's family. Raised by her mother, Montoya observes that women have empowered her family for five generations.
Montoya studied photography and printmaking at the University of New Mexico, where she received her bachelor's degree, master's degree, and master of fine arts. She works in a variety of two-dimensional photographic and printing processes as well as creating larger installations. The artist describes her approach as postmodernist and uses documentary strategies to interpret her own distinct vision.
Politically, Montoya is committed to exploring issues of identity in terms of a Chicano cultural context:"In my own evolving ideology I question my identity as a Chicana in occupied America, and articulate the experience of the minority woman. I work to understand the depth of my spiritual, political, emotional and cultural icons, realizing that in exploring the topography of my conceptual homeland, Aztlan, I am searching for the configuration of my own vision. " (Montoya n.d.) Montoya is committed to the expression of Chicana experience and history, but she does not consider herself as a feminist. Indeed, Montoya rejects identification as a United States-style feminist because she believes that "Feminists don't give us solidarity. As a Chicana my issues are multifaceted, not just gender, but class, race. "
The border, for Montoya, is a politically imposed construct, a part of a United States colonialist enterprise that was forced upon the Chicano community. It is the environment in which Chicano life and history unfolds. Montoya's work explores contemporary and historical issues, sometimes win a humorous twist. Her artist's book for the 1992 Chicano Codices exhibition organized by the Mexican Museum in San Francisco, Codex Delilah: a Journey From Mechica to Chicana (including text by poet Cecilio Garcia-Camarillo), traces the imaginary journey of Six Deer, a character who embodies the contact between indigenous and Spanish culture in her trip "pal norte" towards Aztlan, the "spiritual homeland of her ancestors." As she journeys to the north, the character also journeys forward in time, meeting important Chicanas from the past, including La Llorona, La Conquistador, and activist Velia Silva. This effort to reimagine a forgotten and ignored history integrates several elements to affirm the importance of both historical and contemporary mestizaje to Chicana survival.
Another project, "El Sagrado Corazon/The Sacred Heart," involved the Albuquerque Chicano community in an exploration of the syncretism, or mixing, of Catholicism and Aztec philosophy. These collotype portraits depict members of the community as well as cultural personages, such as "La Genizara" (a Hispanicized Native American) and "La Loca y Sweetie," barrio "home girls."(Biography provided by Reeves Art + Design)
to
8
2
8
4
3
1
Overall Height
to
Overall Width
to
3
8
5
3
3
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
7
1
7
9
6,936
3,336
2,514
1,213
2
1
1
1
1
Artist: Delilah Montoya
Corazon Sagrado
By Delilah Montoya
Located in Dallas, TX
Edition 1/1
Signed, titled, dated and numbered in pencil on print margin by Delilah Montoya
Collotype print, 10 x 8 in.
Delilah Montoya was born in Texas to a Latina mother and an Anglo father. Her mother raised her in Nebraska until she relocated to New Mexico...
Category
1990s Conceptual Delilah Montoya Photography
Materials
Other Medium
“Madonna and Child” Contemporary Photography on Collotype Edition 1/1
By Delilah Montoya
Located in Houston, TX
Contemporary photograph on collotype by Houston, TX artist Delilah Montoya. Photograph shows a young woman wearing a dress and a shawl over her head. The photographed subject holds an infant, a visual reminiscent of the Madonna and Child. The same subject, while surrounded by lit candles, sits against a graffiti backdrop with the word "time" in the bottom left standing out. She looks directly at the camera, confronting the viewer's inquisitive gaze.
Titled, signed, and dated by artist. Framed and matted in a red and gold wooden frame.
Dimensions Without Frame: H 17.25 in. x W 16.125 in.
Artist Biography: Although she was born in Texas and lived in Nebraska into her twenties, photographer and printmaker Delilah Montoya has deep roots in northern New Mexico through her mother's family. Raised by her mother, Montoya observes that women have empowered her family for five generations.
Montoya studied photography and printmaking at the University of New Mexico, where she received her bachelor's degree, master's degree, and master of fine arts. She works in a variety of two-dimensional photographic and printing processes as well as creating larger installations. The artist describes her approach as postmodernist and uses documentary strategies to interpret her own distinct vision.
Politically, Montoya is committed to exploring issues of identity in terms of a Chicano cultural context:"In my own evolving ideology I question my identity as a Chicana in occupied America, and articulate the experience of the minority woman. I work to understand the depth of my spiritual, political, emotional and cultural icons, realizing that in exploring the topography of my conceptual homeland, Aztlan, I am searching for the configuration of my own vision. " (Montoya n.d.) Montoya is committed to the expression of Chicana experience and history, but she does not consider herself as a feminist. Indeed, Montoya rejects identification as a United States-style feminist because she believes that "Feminists don't give us solidarity. As a Chicana my issues are multifaceted, not just gender, but class, race. "
The border, for Montoya, is a politically imposed construct, a part of a United States colonialist enterprise that was forced upon the Chicano community. It is the environment in which Chicano life and history unfolds. Montoya's work explores contemporary and historical issues, sometimes win a humorous twist. Her artist's book for the 1992 Chicano Codices exhibition organized by the Mexican Museum in San Francisco, Codex Delilah: a Journey From Mechica to Chicana (including text by poet Cecilio Garcia-Camarillo), traces the imaginary journey of Six Deer, a character who embodies the contact between indigenous and Spanish culture in her trip "pal norte" towards Aztlan, the "spiritual homeland of her ancestors." As she journeys to the north, the character also journeys forward in time, meeting important Chicanas from the past, including La Llorona...
Category
1990s Contemporary Delilah Montoya Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper
“Treyolia” Black and White Conceptual Contemporary Photograph
By Delilah Montoya
Located in Houston, TX
Black and white contemporary photograph by Houston, TX artist Delilah Montoya. This conceptual photograph captures a young child with long, dark, curly hair, resembling that of Christ's, also wearing a white dress with a thick, patterned lining. The young subject also holds what appears to be a heart figure, also replicated as a graffiti on the wall. Signed and labeled at the back. Framed and matted in a black wooden frame.
Dimensions Without Frame: H 23 in. x W 18 in.
Artist Biography: Although she was born in Texas and lived in Nebraska into her twenties, photographer and printmaker Delilah Montoya has deep roots in northern New Mexico through her mother's family. Raised by her mother, Montoya observes that women have empowered her family for five generations.
Montoya studied photography and printmaking at the University of New Mexico, where she received her bachelor's degree, master's degree, and master of fine arts. She works in a variety of two-dimensional photographic and printing processes as well as creating larger installations. The artist describes her approach as postmodernist and uses documentary strategies to interpret her own distinct vision.
Politically, Montoya is committed to exploring issues of identity in terms of a Chicano cultural context:"In my own evolving ideology I question my identity as a Chicana in occupied America, and articulate the experience of the minority woman. I work to understand the depth of my spiritual, political, emotional and cultural icons, realizing that in exploring the topography of my conceptual homeland, Aztlan, I am searching for the configuration of my own vision. " (Montoya n.d.) Montoya is committed to the expression of Chicana experience and history, but she does not consider herself as a feminist. Indeed, Montoya rejects identification as a United States-style feminist because she believes that "Feminists don't give us solidarity. As a Chicana my issues are multifaceted, not just gender, but class, race. "
The border, for Montoya, is a politically imposed construct, a part of a United States colonialist enterprise that was forced upon the Chicano community. It is the environment in which Chicano life and history unfolds. Montoya's work explores contemporary and historical issues, sometimes win a humorous twist. Her artist's book for the 1992 Chicano Codices exhibition organized by the Mexican Museum in San Francisco, Codex Delilah: a Journey From Mechica to Chicana (including text by poet Cecilio Garcia-Camarillo), traces the imaginary journey of Six Deer, a character who embodies the contact between indigenous and Spanish culture in her trip "pal norte" towards Aztlan, the "spiritual homeland of her ancestors." As she journeys to the north, the character also journeys forward in time, meeting important Chicanas from the past, including La Llorona...
Category
1990s Contemporary Delilah Montoya Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Jackie Chavez
By Delilah Montoya
Located in Dallas, TX
Signed, titled, and dated.
Gelatin silver print
20 x 16 in.
Category
Early 2000s Conceptual Delilah Montoya Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
God's Gift by Delilah Montoya, 1993, Collotype Print
By Delilah Montoya
Located in Dallas, TX
God's Gift by Delilah Montoya depicts a woman facing a graffitied wall, with her arms stretched out. Lit candles surround her on the floor. The woman's pose is reminiscent of Jesus o...
Category
1990s Conceptual Delilah Montoya Photography
Materials
Other Medium
El Grito De La Gitana, from Corazon Sagrado series by Delilah Montoya, 1993
By Delilah Montoya
Located in Dallas, TX
This image is a collotype print from Delilah Montoya's series, Corazon Sagrado, and is edition 1/1. It is signed, titled, dated and numbered in pencil on print margin by Delilah Montoya.
This collotype print features a woman in a dress dancing in front of a backdrop on a checkered floor...
Category
1990s Conceptual Delilah Montoya Photography
Materials
Other Medium
Without innocence how can there be wisdom, from Corazon Sagrado series
By Delilah Montoya
Located in Dallas, TX
Edition 1/1
Signed, titled, dated and numbered in pencil on print margin.
Collotype print
Category
1990s Conceptual Delilah Montoya Photography
Materials
Other Medium
La Guadalupana
By Delilah Montoya
Located in Dallas, TX
A/P
Signed, titled, dated, and print date.
Category
1990s Contemporary Delilah Montoya Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
Related Items
Waiting, Silver Gelatin Black and White Nude Photography
By Savannah Spirit
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Savannah Spirit
Waiting
Silver gelatin on Ilford multigrade paper, signed, edition of 5
Scroll for more on the artist and this series and an excerpt from the recent monograph, The Archive #6: Savannah Spirit, published by Quiet Lunch:
"When I first saw Savannah Spirit’s early nudes, I felt immediately struck by their power and awareness. Of course, they were traditionally beautiful, with classical lighting and shadows from Venetian blinds. Some of them were sexy, in the way bodies are sexy. But they weren’t sexualized. Looking at them, I felt powerful. I felt good. They depicted the body of an adult woman viewing herself with love. I’ve been devoted to them ever since.
To me, these portraits invoke the power of a landscape. The way the light rolls over the body evokes the body’s connection with the earth, with sunrise and its long deep shadows. The patterns of darkness can break the figure into geometry, creating a distance between the viewer and the image, as in End of An Era and Staying Abreast. Yet others, like Resist and Be The Woman You Needed When You Were Younger, create direct address, and sometimes empathy. Sometimes, the viewer takes the vantage point of the artist, and the piece becomes a further study in introspection.
The titles, like The Bottom Line and Read Between the Lines, often invoke idioms, figures of speech, or stereotypes that themselves point back to the culture that produced them. As conceptual components, they are both playful and political, which, when juxtaposed against image to elicit a mood or reaction. For me, it’s different every time. I am often pricked to discover how the vernacular of Hollywood capitalism, juxtaposed to a powerful, nude self-portrait of a woman, almost always feels a bit surprising–as if I wasn’t expecting her to be there.
Recent works, like Network, use both shadow and mirror to create a doubled image, the artist and her reflection, further suggesting the sense of a dialogue with the self. The two bodies are not a mirror image, though seen in a mirror: a conversation between two sides of oneself, rather than a literal twinning.
Over the past decade, as this series took on greater and deeper life, Savannah and I have had countless wonderful discussions about women, bodies and art. As a former artist’s model, early in her career, she participated in the form of power that was available to her: that of the quieted muse. She knew she was being objectified, she recalls, but at least she was included in the club. I instantly recognized that message. She was still creating her own work, though, and one day, she realized she’d had enough of seeing herself through someone else’s lens. She turned the camera on herself, and began to take a very different kind of picture.
During the pandemic, the feeling of being alone with oneself can sometimes feel overwhelming. These recent pieces reflect that agitation of the dialogue alone, the being with oneself, seeking connection..."
- Katie Peyton Hofstadter
Classic black and white silver gelatin print, signed by the artist Savannah Spirit. This is a self portrait of the artist. Categorize between self-portrait, contemporary feminism, take back control, I am my own muse, my body my choice...
Category
2010s Contemporary Delilah Montoya Photography
Materials
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
Jean Shrimpton and Terence Stamp Hand Signed Framed Print
By Terry O'Neill
Located in London, GB
Jean Shrimpton and Terence Stamp
photo by Terry O’Neill
1963
A close cropped portrait of British actor Terence Stamp and model Jean ‘The Shrimp’ Shrimpton, London 1963.
The couple ...
Category
1960s Modern Delilah Montoya Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Free Shipping
H 20 in W 24 in D 1.5 in
John Wayne and Dorothy Lamour - Vintage Photo - 1976
Located in Roma, IT
Vintage b/w Photo realized in 1976.
Category
1970s Contemporary Delilah Montoya Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper
Betsy Drake - Vintage Photo - 1950s
Located in Roma, IT
Vintage Portrait of Betsy Drake, realized in 1950s.
Category
1950s Contemporary Delilah Montoya Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper
Cesar Romero as "The Joker" - Vintage Photo -1966
Located in Roma, IT
Vintage Photo.
Category
1960s Contemporary Delilah Montoya Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper
The British Actor Stewart Granger - Vintage Photo - 1960s
Located in Roma, IT
Vintage Photo.
Photo showing the actor leaving for Morocco where Verrano completed filming of the movie. In the company of his wife and director Robert Aldrich .
Category
1960s Contemporary Delilah Montoya Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper
Hepburn With Dove Hand Signed Framed Print
By Terry O'Neill
Located in London, GB
Hepburn With Dove
1966
by Terry O’Neill
Lifetime hand signed Limited Print
Paper size 12 x 16″ inches / 31 x 41 cm
Gelatin Silver Print
signed and numbered by artist
40/50
With...
Category
1960s Modern Delilah Montoya Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Free Shipping
H 23 in W 18.5 in D 1.5 in
Simon Le Bon
By Andy Warhol
Located in Belgravia, London, London
Gelatin Silver Print
Paper size: 10 x 8 inches
Framed size: 26.5 x 22.5 inches
Dated 'Apr 29 1982' on the reverse
Provenance: Private collection, New York
This work originates fr...
Category
20th Century Modern Delilah Montoya Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
John Wayne, James Stuart e Lauren Bacall - Vintage Photo - 1978
Located in Roma, IT
Vintage Photo. The picture shows the famous actors John Wayne, James Stuart e Lauren Bacall.
Category
1970s Contemporary Delilah Montoya Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper
John Wayne - Vintage Photo - 1969
Located in Roma, IT
Vintage b/w photo of John Wayne, realized in the late 1960s.
Category
1960s Contemporary Delilah Montoya Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper
Waiting, Silver Gelatin Black and White Nude Photography 20" x 24"
By Savannah Spirit
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Savannah Spirit
Waiting
Silver gelatin on Ilford multigrade paper, signed, edition of 5
Scroll for more on the artist and this series and an excerpt from the recent monograph, The A...
Category
2010s Contemporary Delilah Montoya Photography
Materials
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
Ali In Training (1966) - Silver Gelatin Fibre Print
Located in London, GB
Ali In Training (1966) - Silver Gelatin Fibre Print
(Photo by R. McPhedran/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
American heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali throws bare-handed punches in the ri...
Category
1960s Modern Delilah Montoya Photography
Materials
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
Free Shipping
H 40 in W 60 in
Previously Available Items
La Malinche
By Delilah Montoya
Located in Dallas, TX
Edition 1/1
Signed, titled, dated and numbered in pencil on print margin by Delilah Montoya
Collotype print, 10 x 8 in.
Delilah Montoya was born in Texas to a Latina mother and an A...
Category
1990s Conceptual Delilah Montoya Photography
Materials
Other Medium
El Matachin/Moro
By Delilah Montoya
Located in Dallas, TX
Edition 1/1
Signed, titled, dated and numbered in pencil on print margin.
Collotype print
Category
1990s Contemporary Delilah Montoya Photography
Materials
Other Medium
Delilah Montoya photography for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Delilah Montoya photography available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Delilah Montoya in archival pigment print, paper, photographic paper and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 1990s and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large Delilah Montoya photography, so small editions measuring 8 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Emily Cheng, Brenda Zlamany, and Shimon Attie. Delilah Montoya photography prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $2,500 and tops out at $3,500, while the average work can sell for $2,900.
Artists Similar to Delilah Montoya
VIROCODE (Peter D'Auria and Andrea Mancuso)