Seydou Keïta
Seydou Keïta | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1921/1923 |
| Died | November 21, 2001 (aged 79–80) |
| Citizenship | Mali |
| Occupation | Photographer |
Seydou Keïta (1921 – 21 November 2001) was a Malian photographer known for his portraits of people and families he took at his portrait photography studio in Mali's capital, Bamako, in the 1950s.[1] His photographs are widely acknowledged not only as a record of Malian society but also as pieces of art.
Biography
Keïta was born in 1921 in Bamako, Mali, although the exact date is unknown. He was the oldest in a family of five children. His father Bâ Tièkòró and his uncle Tièmòkò were furniture makers. Keïta developed an interest in photography when his uncle gave him a Kodak Brownie with a film with eight shots in 1935, after returning from a trip to Senegal. In the beginning Keïta worked as both a carpenter and photographer, taking first portraits of his family and friends, later of people in the neighborhood. He learned photography and how to develop from Pierre Garnier, a French photographic supply store owner, and from Mountaga Traoré, his mentor. In 1948 he set up his first studio in the family house in Bamako-Koura behind the main prison.[2]
After acquiring studio space and a dark room, Keïta began shooting portraits of clients, and he eventually garnered a reputation for his style in both his photos and the way in which he shot his subjects.[3] In an interview with art curator André Magnin, Keïta describes his process and says that he showed his clients examples of previous portraits he had done, allowed them to pick a pose that they would like, and then he says “I suggested a position that was better suited for them, and in effect, I determined the good position. I was never wrong”.[4] Another aspect of Keïta’s style that led to his popularity as a portrait photographer was the “innovative use of props and backdrops” in all his photos.[5] Keïta was highly sought after by his clients not only for his signature style, but the culture and elegance that a photo of themselves stamped with the words “Photo SEYDOU KEÏTA” represented.[6]
Keïta died on 21 November 2001 in Paris.[7]
Publications
- Keïta, Seydou, André Magnin, and Youssouf Cissé. Seydou Keïta. Zurich: Scalo, 1997. ISBN 3-931141-46-2
- 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, 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 Forum, Germany[8]
- 2011: Seydou Keïta, Gallery Fifty One, Antwerp, Belgium[9]
- 2018: Bamako Portraits, Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands[10]
Group exhibitions
- 1996: African Photographers, Guggenheim Museum, New York, USA[11]
- 2005: African Art Now: Masterpieces from the Jean Pigozzi Collection, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, USA[12]
- 2006: About Africa, part one, Gallery Fifty One, Antwerp, Belgium[13]
- 2006: Some Tribes, Christophe Guye Galerie, Zurich, Switzerland[14]
- 2006: Vive l’Afrique, Galerie du Jour – Agnès b., Tokyo, Japan[15]
- 2006: 100% Africa, Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain[16]
- 2007: Why Africa?, Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli, Turin, Italy[17]
- 2008: Accrochage, Gallery Fifty One, Antwerp, Belgium[18]
- 2009: Masters of Photography, Gallery Fifty One, Antwerp, Belgium[19]
- 2015: The Pistil's Waltz, Gallery Fifty One, Antwerp, Belgium[20]
Collections
Keita's work is held in the following permanent collections:
- The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois: 8 items[21]
- Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, Missouri: 2 items[22][23]
- Minneapolis Institute of Art , Minneapolis, Minnesota: 6 items[24]
- Museum of Modern Art, New York, New York: 10 items[25]
- University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Chicago, Illinois: 5 items[26]
Further reading
- Bell, Clare. In/sight: African Photographers, 1940 to the Present: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, May 24-September 29, 1996. New York, 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
- ^ Moore, Allison (11 February 2013). "Keïta, Seydou". Grove Art Online: Oxford Art Online's Grove Dictionary of Art. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
- ^ Magnin, André; Cissé, Youssouf Tata (1997). André Magnin (ed.). Seydou Keïta. Scalo Publishers. ISBN 3-931141-46-2.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|chapterurl=(help) - ^ Bigham, Elizabeth (1999). "Issues of Authorship in the Portrait Photographs of Seydou Keïta". African Arts. 32 (1): 56–96. doi:10.2307/3337538. ISSN 0001-9933.
- ^ Magnin, André (1995). "Seydou Keita". African Arts. 28 (4): 91–95. doi:10.2307/3337300. ISSN 0001-9933.
- ^ "Seydou Keïta 1921-2001". The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education (34): 30–30. 2001. ISSN 1077-3711.
- ^ Bigham, Elizabeth (1999). "Issues of Authorship in the Portrait Photographs of Seydou Keïta". African Arts. 32 (1): 56–96. doi:10.2307/3337538. ISSN 0001-9933.
- ^ Loke, Margarett (8 December 2001). "Seydou Keïta Dies; Photographed Common Man of Mali". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-06 – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ "Home". kunsthallewien.at. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
- ^ "FIFTY ONE Fine Art Photography Gallery - Artists". www.gallery51.com. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
- ^ "Seydou Keïta - Bamako Portraits". Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
- ^ "In/sight: African Photographers, 1940 to the Present". 16 January 2008. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
- ^ http://prv.mfah.org/archives/search.asp?par1=3&showid=2195&extitle=African+Art+Now%3A+Masterpieces+from+the+Jean+Pigozzi+Collection&exartist=&syear=&eyear=&cPg=1
- ^ "FIFTY ONE Fine Art Photography Gallery - Exhib. Fifty One - past". gallery51.com. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
- ^ "Some Tribes". Retrieved 5 October 2017.
- ^ http://www.galeriedujour.com/expositions/0231_vivelafrique/afrique.jpg
- ^ "100% Africa - Guggenheim Museum Bilbao". Retrieved 5 October 2017.
- ^ "Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli WHY AFRICA?". www.pinacoteca-agnelli.it. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
- ^ "FIFTY ONE Fine Art Photography Gallery - Exhib. Fifty One - past". gallery51.com. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
- ^ "FIFTY ONE Fine Art Photography Gallery - Exhib. Fifty One - current". www.gallery51.com. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
- ^ "FIFTY ONE Fine Art Photography Gallery - Exhib. Fifty One - past". gallery51.com. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
- ^ "Seydou Keïta". The Art Institute of Chicago. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
- ^ "Untitled, #162" Saint Louis Art Museum. Accessed 20 June 2017
- ^ "Untitled, #58" Saint Louis Art Museum. Accessed 20 June 2017
- ^ "Seydou Keïta | Minneapolis Institute of Art". Retrieved 2018-01-10.
- ^ "Seydou Keïta". The Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
- ^ "Seydou Keïta". University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
External links
- Official website
- Interviews with Seydou Keïta and Françoise Huguier at the Wayback Machine (archived February 9, 1997).
- Seydou Keita: Contemporary African Art Collection.
- Sedyou Keita at Gallery51.
- The Ghosts of Seydou Keita: Audio Slideshow from the New York Times.
- Michael Rips (22 January 2006). "Who Owns Seydou Keïta?". The New York Times.
- "Seydou Keïta: The Theatre of Aspiration, with Jeremy Harding". London Review of Books (LRB).
