Anthony Hernandez photographs poetry in LA urban blight

The photographer Anthony Hernandez has traveled the world with his camera, but he’s always returned to Los Angeles. His work is based on what he saw and experienced growing up in East LA and Boyle Heights as the child of Mexican immigrants. A lot of Hernandez’s work could be described as “street photography,” capturing the hard faces and hard lives of a gritty LA; but there are also landscapes featuring tire shops and abstract photos of contemporary ruins. Hernandez captures poetry in an environment that most people would consider urban blight. After a career spanning more than 45 years, San Francisco’s Museum of Modern Art will hold the first retrospective of Hernandez’ work, opening September 24.