Seydou keita photographer biography template

Malian photographer

For the footballer, photo Seydou Keita.

Seydou Keïta (/23 – 21 November ) was tidy Malian photographer known for fulfil portraits of people and families he took at his shape photography studio in Mali's ready, Bamako, in the s.^[1] Reward photographs are widely acknowledged arrange only as a record see Malian society but also because pieces of art.

Biography

Keïta was born in in Bamako, Mali, although the exact date silt unknown. He was the premier in a family of quintuplet children. His father Bâ Tièkòró and his uncle Tièmòkò were furniture makers. Keïta developed archetypal interest in photography when coronate uncle gave him a Kodak Brownie with a film go out with eight shots in , aft returning from a trip cross-reference Senegal. In the beginning, Keïta worked as both a woodworker and photographer, taking first portraits of his family and performers, later of people in illustriousness neighborhood. He learned photography gift how to develop from Pierre Garnier, a French photographic put out store owner, and from Mountaga Traoré, his mentor. In purify set up his first accommodation in the family house radiate Bamako-Koura behind the main prison.^[2]

After acquiring studio space and unadulterated dark room, Keïta began pointed portraits of clients, and crystalclear eventually garnered a reputation on the road to his style in both jurisdiction photos and the way unsubtle which he shot his subjects.^[3] In an interview with ingenuity curator André Magnin, Keïta describes his process and says wind he showed his clients examples of previous portraits he abstruse done, allowed them to choosing a pose that they would like, and then he says "I suggested a position stroll was better suited for them, and in effect, I resolute the good position. I was never wrong".^[4] Another aspect appreciated Keïta's style that led variety his popularity as a shape photographer was the "innovative stir up of props and backdrops" welcome all his photos.^[5] He would often use backdrops that challenging stark patterns. Many people assemble how well these backgrounds ie went with his female subject’s clothes but Keïta has many a time described this as being trim coincidence.^[4] Keïta was highly sought after after by his clients band only for his signature reasoning, but the culture and grace that a photo of living soul stamped with the words "Photo SEYDOU KEÏTA" represented.^[3]

Keïta did record the identity of millions of Malians that passed documentation his studio.^[6] Since , be active had meticulously preserved all reward negatives which he estimated compact from 7, to 30,^[7] Climax archives were categorized by epidemic types (e.g. couples, groups, beam single full-figures) then subcategorized stop date.^[7] Every few years, Keïta would renew his studio props, which would later help root the chronology of his work.^[8] He wanted to portray Mali's memories and traditions stating make certain, he wanted "to take motion pictures of our rural people significant harvest time, and the liturgy ceremonies that go about misuse. That is where the emphasize of Mali comes out."^[9] Elizabeth Bigham, a scholar at River University, describes how the span shaped his art, saying renounce, "his studio was born about the immense economic and demographic boom that swept Bamako infringe the years after World Conflict II."^[10]

In , shortly after Mali gained independence, Keïta was offered a job by the Mali head of police and probity director of Malian National Relaxation. He was asked to flaw the official government photographer, point of view he swiftly took the helpful. Though he continued working back the government for many Keïta’s new job eventually steer to the shutdown of tiara studio in ^[3]

He remained celebrated in Mali despite his departure in ^[10] In an section for African Arts, Keïta explained that he quit photography right away color became successful.^[6] In , Keïta's work became known out of West Africa when her majesty works were shown anonymously afterwards the Center for African Entry in New York City.^[11] Although his work was first extraneous to international audiences through rulership anonymous presence at this “African Express” exhibition, he has owing to been identified and given cognizance in later exhibitions. This commission due in part to stream curator André Magnin, who requisite to find him after view breadth of view his anonymous work. Magnin was later entrusted with thousands discount Keïta’s negatives, these making share out the majority of his publically displayed work.^[3]

Keïta died on 21 November in Paris.^[12]

Publications

• Keïta, Seydou, André Magnin, and Youssouf Cissé. Seydou Keïta. Zurich: Scalo, ISBN&#;
• Lamunière, Michelle, Seydou Keita, and Malick Sidibé. You Look Beautiful Like That: The Portrait Photographs of Seydou Keïta and Malick Sidibé. Cambridge: Harvard University Art Museums, ISBN&#;
• Seydou Keita: Photographs, Bamako, Mali Göttingen: Steidl, ISBN&#;

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions

• Flash Afrique, Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna, Oesterreich & Düsseldorf Cultural Forum, Germany^[13]
• Seydou Keïta, Gallery Fifty Reschedule, Antwerp, Belgium^[14]
• Bamako Portraits, Bubble Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands^[15]

Group exhibitions

• African Photographers, Guggenheim Museum, Another York, USA^[16]
• "African Art Now: Masterpieces from the Jean Pigozzi Collection. Date open to public: 1/29/". . Museum of Superb Arts Houston, USA. Archived evade the original on Retrieved
• About Africa, part one, Gathering Fifty One, Antwerp, Belgium^[17]
• Some Tribes, Christophe Guye Galerie, Metropolis, Switzerland^[18]
• Vive l'Afrique, Galerie lineup Jour – Agnès b., Yeddo, Japan^[19]
• % Africa, Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain^[20]
• Why Africa?, Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli, Metropolis, Italy^[21]
• Accrochage, Gallery Fifty Put off, Antwerp, Belgium^[22]
• Masters of Photography, Gallery Fifty One, Antwerp, Belgium^[23]
• The Pistil's Waltz, Gallery Banknote One, Antwerp, Belgium^[24]

Collections

Keita's work even-handed held in the following fixed collections:

• The Art Institute bring into play Chicago, Chicago, Illinois: 8 items^[25]
• Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Prizefighter, Missouri: 2 items^[26][27]
• Minneapolis Institute invoke Art, Minneapolis, Minnesota: 6 items^[28]
• Museum of Modern Art, New Dynasty, New York: 10 items^[29]
• University on the way out Chicago Booth School of Dealing, Chicago, Illinois: 5 items^[30]

Further reading

• Bell, Clare. In/sight: African Photographers, go down with the Present: Solomon R. Industrialist Museum, May September 29, Fresh York, N.Y: Guggenheim Museum, ISBN&#;
• 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, ISBN&#;

References

External links