The scene depicted in this photograph is theatrical, reverential, and almost absurd. The curtain in the background suggests a stage where a play is coming to an end. The marionette is Rene d’Harnoncourt, a curator and art dealer who was living in Mexico at the time. Twenty years after this photograph was made, d’Harnoncourt became director of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, where he developed a global vision for the museum and distinguished his exhibitions with thoughtful and theatrical spatial designs.

Tina Modotti, Rene d’Harnoncourt Puppet, 1929, the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Museum purchase funded by Marion and Joe Mundy in honor of Rachel Mundy, 96.563, Photograph © The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston