Seydou Keïta changed the face of portrait photography. Seydou Keïta: A Tactile Lens is the most expansive North American exhibition of the legendary Malian photographer’s work to date, transporting visitors to Bamako from the late 1940s to early 1960s. During this era of profound political and social transformation, Keïta collaborated closely with his sitters to record Mali’s evolution.
Consider the photo above. Posing with aplomb on a Vespa—likely Keïta’s—these women became the subjects of one of his most iconic photographs. They present themselves as aspirational members of the Bamako Vespa Club, whose membership was reserved for men. Expensive and rare, Vespas were costly symbols of affluence that were inaccessible to most Bamakois in the French colonial economy. Keïta, one of the club’s founders, purchased his own using earnings from his photography.
See this iconic image and many more. Free with general admission.
Seydou Keïta: A Tactile Lens is organized by guest curator Catherine E. McKinley with Imani Williford, Curatorial Assistant, Photography, Fashion, and Material Culture, Brooklyn Museum.
Exhibition soundtrack created by Nile Rodgers and Chmba Chilemba.
Significant support is provided by the Leonian Charitable Trust.
Generous support is provided by Tom Healy and Fred P. Hochberg, Elizabeth and William Kahane, and VLISCO.
Additional support is provided by Isabel Stainow Wilcox.
We are grateful to all the lenders for this exhibition, especially The Jean Pigozzi African Art Collection and the Seydou Keïta family, who were passionate advocates and generous lenders for this presentation.
From the top: Seydou Keïta. Untitled, 1957. Vintage gelatin silver print. Courtesy of The Jean Pigozzi African Art Collection. © SKPEAC/Seydou Keïta, courtesy The Jean Pigozzi Collection of African Art and Danziger Gallery, NY; Image courtesy of the Brooklyn Museum Shop
