Mariana Yampolsky (1925-2002) was born near Chicago. She graduated from the University of Chicago in 1948. She first went to Mexico in 1944, moving there a few years later. She was soon a member of the Taller de Arts Populares (Popular Graphics Arts Workshop), working as a printer and engraver, and was the first woman elected to their Board of Directors.
In the late 1940's she began experimenting with photography, taking her first class from Lola Álvarez Bravo. She worked for a number of years with the Ministry of Education, publishing a children's magazine series. Her works have appeared in over 45 solo exhibitions and 110 group exhibitions all over the world; her photographs reside in 16 major collections; 14 books and catalogs of her works have been published; and she herself has edited 12 books and periodicals. A citizen of Mexico, she lived and worked there for the majority of her life.
