The Vision Behind “Black is Beautiful”
The exhibition “Black is Beautiful” celebrates the vision of Kwame Brathwaite, the Brooklyn-born photographer who popularized the phrase and helped shape a bold aesthetic of Black pride in the 1960s.
Co-founder of the African Jazz-Art Society & Studios (AJASS), Kwame Brathwaite documented the activism and art of the Grandassa Models and the Harlem community, inspired by fashion, music, and political activism. His photographs honored natural hair and African-inspired style, asserting a bold and self-defined vision of Black identity.
© Kwame Brathwaite. Radiah Frye, a model who embraced natural hairstyles during a photo session at the AJASS studios. Circa 1970
© Kwame Brathwaite. The Jackson Five at Gorée Island’s House of Slaves Museum. 1974
© Kwame Brathwaite. Muhammad Ali in the ring. October 30, 1974
Over a six-decade career, Kwame Brathwaite’s work extended into the music world, as he photographed legends like Stevie Wonder and Bob Marley, while chronicling Pan-African activism worldwide. This retrospective marks the first major European show of his visual legacy.
© Kwame Brathwaite. “Naturally ’68” photo shoot at the Apollo Theater with Grandassa Models and founding members of AJASS. Circa 1968
© Kwame Brathwaite. Bob Marley at the Soundcheck Festival. October 4, 1975
© Kwame Brathwaite. Original members of AJASS, from left to right: Robert Gumbs, Frank Adu, Elombe Brath (seated), Kwame Brathwaite, Fred K. Ward, and Chris Hall. AJASS Studios, Harlem. Circa 1964
This exhibition “Black is Beautiful” is on view at the Centre de la Photographie de Mougins in France, as part of the Rencontres d’Arles’ program “Grand Arles Express”.
