In the 1950s and 60s, a colourful collection of inhabitants of Bamako, capital of Mali, posed for the camera belonging to Seydou Keïta (1921-2001, Mali).
People came to Keïta’s studio to have their picture taken in the best and most beautiful way: wearing extravagant dresses made of wonderful textiles with splendid forms of head dress, or in a modern western suit with a bow tie, leaning against a motorcycle or with a radio tucked under the arm. His oeuvre forms a period document that captures Bamako’s transition from a cosmopolitan town in a French colony to the proud capital city of an independent Mali.
Seydou Keïta
Bamako Portraits
6 April – 20 June 2018
Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam
Keizersgracht 609
1017 DS Amsterdam
www.foam.org
Untitled © Seydou Keïta / SKPEAC / courtesy CAAC – The Pigozzi Collection, Geneva
Untitled, 1952-1955 © Seydou Keïta / SKPEAC / courtesy CAAC – The Pigozzi Collection, Geneva
Untitled, 1954 © Seydou Keïta / SKPEAC / courtesy CAAC – The Pigozzi Collection, Geneva
Untitled, 1949/51 © Seydou Keïta / SKPEAC / courtesy CAAC – The Pigozzi Collection, Geneva
