In the 1960s, African photographers recaptured their own image

The Museum of Modern Art's exhibition "Ideas of Africa: Portraiture and Political Imagination" highlights the transformative power of African photographers in reshaping narratives around identity and representation. Curator Oluremi C. Onabanjo draws inspiration from V.Y. Mudimbe’s work to challenge the European portrayal of Africa as an "other." Featuring mid-20th-century icons like Seydou Keïta and Kwame Brathwaite, alongside contemporary artists, the exhibition explores portrait photography's role in the African Independence Movement. It showcases how figures like Brathwaite championed self-determination during decolonization, resonating with the Civil Rights movement. Discover how these images reclaim a rich, complex African past and present.