Sons of the Devil

1980

Medium: Silver dye-bleach print
Dimensions: Image: 27.5 × 26.7 cm (10 7/8 × 10 9/16 in.); Paper: 35.4 × 27.8 cm (13 15/16 × 11 in.)
Genre: silver-dye bleach print
Museum: Art Institute of Chicago

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photographyphotographphotographic processsilver-dye bleach print

About

Born in Havana and educated in Spain and Miami, Luis Medina came to Chicago in 1967 to study sculpture at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. After finding mentors in photography professor Harold Allen and Art Institute curator Hugh Edwards,however, he abandoned sculpture for photography. Medina eventually began to document Chicago's vibrant street life and graffiti, gaining the trust of members of the Puerto Rican motorcycle gang Sons of the Devil as well as other street gangs. In this portrait, the gang members pose with defiant authority but a hint of a smile for the photographer.