Kwame Brathwaite, the pioneering activist and photographer who played a vital role in shaping the “Black is Beautiful” movement of the 1960s and beyond, passed away on April 1 at the age of 85. His son, Kwame Brathwaite, Jr, shared the sad news on Instagram, describing his father as the patriarch of their family and his personal hero.
Brathwaite’s work has experienced a renewed interest from curators, historians, and collectors in recent years. His first major retrospective, which was organized by the Aperture Foundation, debuted in 2019 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles and then traveled across the country.
Born in 1938 to Barbadian immigrants, Brathwaite grew up in New York, specifically in Brooklyn, Harlem, and the South Bronx. He discovered his passion for photography at a young age, inspired by David Jackson’s powerful photograph of Emmett Till and witnessing a photographer capture images in a jazz club without using flash.
Using a Hasselblad medium-format camera, Brathwaite developed a unique style that utilized limited light to enhance the visual narrative of his photographs. He also mastered a darkroom technique that beautifully accentuated black skin tones. Brathwaite photographed legendary jazz musicians during the 1950s and ’60s, including Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Thelonious Monk, capturing the essence and mood of their performances.
In the early 1960s, Brathwaite and AJASS actively fought against Eurocentric beauty standards and launched the Grandassa Models, a group of young Black women whom he photographed, celebrating their features. AJASS organized a fashion show called “Naturally ’62” in Harlem, which became a regular event until 1992. During this time, Brathwaite met and married Sikolo, a Grandassa Model.
In the 1970s, Brathwaite expanded his focus to other genres of popular Black music. He traveled to Africa with the Jackson Five, documenting their tour and capturing significant moments like the “Rumble in the Jungle” boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. Brathwaite continued to photograph notable musicians, including Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, and Bob Marley.
Throughout his career, Brathwaite remained dedicated to his unique photographic style, consistently championing the “Black is Beautiful” movement. Even in his later years, he continued to take photographs and exhibit his work. Although his health prevented him from being interviewed for T Magazine’s profile in 2021, his legacy lives on through his captivating images.
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