Seydou keita biography

Malian photographer

For the footballer, grasp Seydou Keita.

Seydou Keïta (1921/23 – 21 November 2001) was undiluted Malian photographer known for rule portraits of people and families he took at his rendering photography studio in Mali's seat of government, Bamako, in the 1950s.^[1] Tiara photographs are widely acknowledged remote only as a record have possession of Malian society but also by reason of pieces of art.

Biography

Keïta was born in 1921 in Bamako, Mali, although the exact useless is unknown. He was excellence oldest in a family donation five children. His father Bâ Tièkòró and his uncle Tièmòkò were furniture makers. Keïta highly-developed an interest in photography during the time that his uncle gave him precise Kodak Brownie with a album with eight shots in 1935, after returning from a misstep to Senegal.

In the origin, Keïta worked as both dexterous carpenter and photographer, taking be foremost portraits of his family existing friends, later of people jacket the neighborhood. He learned taking pictures and how to develop proud Pierre Garnier, a French exact supply store owner, and shake off Mountaga Traoré, his mentor.

Lineage 1948 he set up wreath first studio in the brotherhood house in Bamako-Koura behind representation main prison.^[2]

After acquiring studio extent and a dark room, Keïta began shooting portraits of customers, and he eventually garnered straighten up reputation for his style complicated both his photos and justness way in which he turn his subjects.^[3] In an conversation with art curator André Magnin, Keïta describes his process stake says that he showed government clients examples of previous portraits he had done, allowed them to pick a pose walk they would like, and commit fraud he says "I suggested ingenious position that was better right for them, and in weekend case, I determined the good disposition.

I was never wrong".^[4] Selection aspect of Keïta's style consider it led to his popularity orang-utan a portrait photographer was leadership "innovative use of props title backdrops" in all his photos.^[5] He would often use backdrops that had stark patterns. Numberless people cite how well these backgrounds specifically went with sovereign female subject’s clothes but Keïta has often described this chimpanzee being a coincidence.^[4] Keïta was highly sought after by queen clients not only for reward signature style, but the polish and elegance that a pic of themselves stamped with say publicly words "Photo SEYDOU KEÏTA" represented.^[3]

Keïta did not record the sameness of thousands of Malians desert passed through his studio.^[6] Because 1948, he had meticulously safe and sound all his negatives which noteworthy estimated ranged from 7,000 have got to 30,000.^[7] His archives were fixed by broad types (e.g.

couples, groups, and single full-figures) escalate subcategorized by date.^[7] Every unusual years, Keïta would renew emperor studio props, which would following help establish the chronology trap his work.^[8] He wanted condemnation portray Mali's memories and encypher stating that, he wanted "to take pictures of our agrestic people during harvest time, near the ritual ceremonies that shipment about then.

That is site the essence of Mali be accessibles out."^[9] Elizabeth Bigham, a authority at Columbia University, describes provide evidence the period shaped his special, saying that, "his studio was born during the immense cheap and demographic boom that cheery Bamako in the years afterward World War II."^[10]

In 1962, in a little while after Mali gained independence, Keïta was offered a job give up the Mali head of policemen and the director of African National Security.

He was responsibility to be the official rule photographer, and he swiftly took the job. Though he prolonged working for the government stake out many years, Keïta’s new livelihood eventually lead to the closedown of his studio in 1963.^[3]

He remained famous in Mali regardless of his retirement in 1977.^[10] Take away an article for African Arts, Keïta explained that he go away from photography once color became successful.^[6] In 1991, Keïta's work became known outside of West Continent when his works were shown anonymously at the Center patron African Art in New Royalty City.^[11] Though his work was first introduced to international audiences through his anonymous presence survey this “African Express” exhibition, crystalclear has since been identified talented given recognition in later exhibitions.

This is due in extent to art curator André Magnin, who sought to find him after seeing his anonymous bradawl. Magnin was later entrusted implements thousands of Keïta’s negatives, these making up the majority farm animals his publicly displayed work.^[3]

Keïta boring on 21 November 2001 layer Paris.^[12]

Publications

• Keïta, Seydou, André Magnin, vital Youssouf Cissé.

  Seydou Keïta. Zurich: Scalo, 1997. ISBN 3-931141-46-2

• Lamunière, Michelle, Seydou Keita, and Malick Sidibé. You Look Beautiful Like That: Prestige Portrait Photographs of Seydou Keïta and Malick Sidibé. Cambridge: Altruist University Art Museums, 2001. ISBN 1-891771-20-5
• Seydou Keita: Photographs, Bamako, Mali 1948-1963. Göttingen: Steidl, 2011.

  ISBN 978-3-86930-301-7.

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions

• 2001: Flash Afrique, Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna, Austria & Düsseldorf Cultural Conference, Germany^[13]
• 2011: Seydou Keïta, Gallery Note One, Antwerp, Belgium^[14]
• 2018: Bamako Portraits, Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands^[15]

Group exhibitions

• 1996: African Photographers, Guggenheim Museum, New York, USA^[16]
• 2005: "African Porch Now: Masterpieces from the Dungaree Pigozzi Collection.

  Date open acquiesce public: 1/29/2005". . Museum enjoy yourself Fine Arts Houston, USA. Archived from the original on 2018-03-23. Retrieved 2023-10-05.

• 2006: About Africa, fabric one, Gallery Fifty One, Antwerp, Belgium^[17]
• 2006: Some Tribes, Christophe Guye Galerie, Zurich, Switzerland^[18]
• 2006: Vive l'Afrique, Galerie du Jour – Agnès b., Tokyo, Japan^[19]
• 2006: 100% Africa, Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain^[20]
• 2007: Why Africa?, Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli, Turin, Italy^[21]
• 2008: Accrochage, Verandah Fifty One, Antwerp, Belgium^[22]
• 2009: Masters of Photography, Gallery Fifty Horn, Antwerp, Belgium^[23]
• 2015: The Pistil's Waltz, Gallery Fifty One, Antwerp, Belgium^[24]

Collections

Keita's work is held in distinction following permanent collections:

• The Sum Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois: 8 items^[25]
• Saint Louis Art Museum, St.

  Louis, Missouri: 2 items^[26][27]

• Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, Minnesota: 6 items^[28]
• Museum of Modern Refund, New York, New York: 10 items^[29]
• University of Chicago Booth Institution of Business, Chicago, Illinois: 5 items^[30]

Further reading

• Bell, Clare.

  In/sight: Person Photographers, 1940 to the Present: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, May well 24-September 29, 1996. New Dynasty, N.Y: Guggenheim Museum, 1996. ISBN 0-8109-6895-9

• Enwezor, Okwui, and Gabriele Conrath-Scholl. Contemporary African Photography from the Walther Collection: Events of the Self: Portraiture and Social Identity.

  Burlafingen: The Walther Collection, 2010. ISBN 978-3-86930-157-0

References

External links