Photography appeared in Africa in the middle of the 19th century and still its recognition as an art form is a recent phenomenon. In the Fifties, the appearance of the photo studio created a very formal relationship between the photographer and his model. The studio photographer became a respected professional, with a very high social status. He became the guardian of the visual memory of his community preserving the identity of his models, while at the same time bearing witness to changes in urban society.
It has gradually embraced new aesthetic approaches via the work of artists such as Malick Sidibé, Jurgen Schadeberg and Jean Depara, and has a wide variety of contemporary forms.
1-27 november 2010
Galerie des Arts Derniers
28 rue St Gilles, 75003 Paris
