Artist
Kwame Brathwaite(American, 1938–2023)American, 1938–2023
CultureAmerican
Titles
- Untitled (Men at photo shoot at a school in the 1960s)
Date1966, printed 2018
MediumInkjet print
DimensionsImage: 15 × 14 15/16 in. (38.1 × 37.9 cm)
Sheet: 17 × 17 in. (43.2 × 43.2 cm)
Sheet: 17 × 17 in. (43.2 × 43.2 cm)
Credit LineGift of Philip Martin and Portia Hein
Object number2019.48
Non exposé
Explore Further
Department
PhotographySpecial Collections
Object Type
“Black is Beautiful” became a household phrase beginning
in the 1960s, yet the roots of this powerful sentiment were in photography. As
a branch of the artist collective the African Jazz Art Society and Studios
(AJASS), the photographer Kwame Brathwaite and his brother Elombe Brath founded
Grandassa Models in 1966. Their roster of male and female models
encompassed different shades of skin and natural hair types. According to the New York Times arts
writer Melissa Smith, “Black power’s effectiveness as a political slogan owes a
debt to how Mr. Brathwaite showcased his subjects.”
Provenance[Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles]; given to MFAH, 2019.
Exhibition History"Icons of Style: A Century of Fashion Photography," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, June 23–September 22, 2019.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
[no recto or verso inscriptions]
Cataloguing data may change with further research.
If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.
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