Seydou Keita - Untitled 1949/51 (Portrait)

Born around 1921 in Bamako, Seydou Keïta worked as an apprentice carpenter for his father from the age of seven. In 1935, a Kodak Brownie given to him by his uncle sparked his passion for photography.

Self-taught, Keïta opened the studio in 1948 where he produced most of his portraits in black and white, in natural light. For fifteen years, he ran the most famous studio in Bamako thanks to his talent, his mastery of poses and the quality of his prints.

His clientele, mainly city dwellers, appreciate the accessories, signs of modernity, that Keïta makes available to them: suits, hats, glasses, watches, radios, Vespas, etc. And the fabric backgrounds that he associates with the patterns of women's outfits create a very graphic effect, one of the hallmarks of his style.

Discovered in the West in the early 1990s, Seydou Keïta is today considered the greatest African portrait painter of the 20th century.

© Courtesy CAAC - The Pigozzi collection