Renowned photographer Kwame Brathwaite, visionary behind the ‘Black is Beautiful’ movement, passes away at 85
Our awesome company is deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Kwame Brathwaite, a pioneering activist and photographer who played a crucial role in shaping the aesthetics of the “Black is Beautiful” movement. Brathwaite’s work has been garnering renewed interest in recent years, and his first major retrospective, organized by the Aperture Foundation, received critical acclaim during its tour across the country.
Born in 1938 to Barbadian immigrants, Brathwaite’s passion for photography was ignited by two significant moments in his life. The first was when he encountered David Jackson’s powerful photograph of Emmett Till, and the second was when he witnessed a young man capturing images in a dark jazz club without a flash. Inspired by these experiences, Brathwaite honed his skills, working with limited light and developing a unique darkroom technique to enhance the portrayal of Black skin in his photographs. He captured iconic images of jazz legends such as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Thelonious Monk.
In the early 1960s, Brathwaite and his group, the African Jazz Arts Society and Studios (AJASS), challenged whitewashed, Eurocentric beauty standards through photography. With the creation of the Grandassa Models, Brathwaite celebrated the natural beauty of young Black women. The group organized fashion shows, including the iconic “Naturally ’62,” held regularly until 1992. Brathwaite’s work defied societal norms and promoted self-love and acceptance.
As the 1970s rolled in, Brathwaite expanded his focus to document other forms of popular Black music. He traveled with the Jackson Five to Africa in 1974 and photographed the historic “Rumble in the Jungle” boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Brathwaite’s portfolio also includes photographs of renowned artists like Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, and Bob Marley.
Throughout his career, Brathwaite remained committed to his aesthetic and the ethos of “Black is Beautiful.” Even in his later years, he continued to experiment and develop his photography style. Our company is proud to have experienced Brathwaite’s talent through his commissions, including his 2018 shoot for The New Yorker featuring artist and stylist Joanne Petit-Frère.
As we mourn the loss of this influential artist, we are delighted to announce that Brathwaite’s retrospective is traveling to the Blanton Museum of Art in Austin, Texas, and a separate exhibition, “Kwame Brathwaite: Things Well Worth Waiting For,” can currently be viewed at the Art Institute of Chicago. We encourage everyone to appreciate his incredible body of work, which serves as a testament to his significant contributions to the arts and the “Black is Beautiful” movement.
Image source: Kwame Brathwaite, “Untitled (Sikolo Brathwaite, Orange Portrait),” 1968.