Kwame Brathwaite (January 1, 1938 – April 1, 2023) was an American

photojournalist Photojournalism is journalism that uses images to tell a news story. It usually only refers to still images, but can also refer to video used in broadcast journalism. Photojournalism is distinguished from other close branches of photography (such ...

and

activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

known for popularizing the phrase "

Black is Beautiful Black is beautiful is a cultural movement that was started in the United States in the 1960s by African Americans. It later spread beyond the United States, most prominently in the writings of the Black Consciousness Movement of Steve Biko in ...

" and documenting life and culture in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

and Africa.

Life and work

Born Gilbert Ronald Brathwaite in Brooklyn on January 1, 1938 and brought up in the

South Bronx The South Bronx is an area of the New York City Borough (New York City), borough of the Bronx. The area comprises neighborhoods in the southern part of the Bronx, such as Concourse, Bronx, Concourse, Mott Haven, Bronx, Mott Haven, Melrose, B ...

, to immigrant parents from Barbados, who chronicled the cultural, political, and social developments of Harlem, Africa, and the African diaspora. As a boy in the early 1950s, he was enrolled at School of Industrial Art (now the

High School of Art and Design The High School of Art and Design is a career and technical education high school in Manhattan, New York City, New York State, United States. Founded in 1936 as the School of Industrial Art, the school moved to 1075 Second Avenue in 1960 and more ...

). He adopted the name Kwame in the early 1960s, a tribute to

Kwame Nkrumah Kwame Nkrumah (born 21 September 190927 April 1972) was a Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary. He was the first Prime Minister and President of Ghana, having led the Gold Coast to independence from Britain in 1957. An in ...

, the first leader of post-colonial Ghana. With his older brother Elombe Brath, Brathwaite founded the African Jazz Art Society and Studios in 1956 and

Grandassa Models Grandassa Models were a part of a Black is Beautiful movement started by Kwame Brathwaite and Elombe Brath which centered on natural Black beauty. They attracted African American females who represented their standards of "Black is Beautiful" and ...

in 1962. In 2021, the

Pérez Art Museum Miami The Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM)—officially known as the Jorge M. Pérez Art Museum of Miami-Dade County—is a contemporary art museum that relocated in 2013 to the Museum Park in Downtown Miami, Florida. Founded in 1984 as the Center for t ...

acquired "Untitled (AJASS Model on Black Background)” (1970s/2019)," portraying a female model figure dressed in patterns resembling

quilts A quilt is a multi-layered textile, traditionally composed of two or more layers of fabric or fiber. Commonly three layers are used with a filler material. These layers traditionally include a woven cloth top, a layer of batting or wadding, a ...

created in African American communities, such as those made at

Gee's Bend Boykin, also known as Gee's Bend, is an African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The te ...

, in

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

. The artist is a major figure in the

movement. Brathwaite died in Manhattan on April 1, 2023, at the age of 85.

''Naturally'' pageants

On January 28, 1962, with his brother Elombe Brath, Brathwaite staged the ''Naturally '62'' pageant, the first of a series of pageants to feature only black models. The 1962 pageant was titled ''The Original African Coiffure and Fashion Extravaganza Designed to Restore Our Racial Pride & Standards.'' Held at the Harlem Purple Manor, a nightclub on East 125th Street, it helped to popularize the phrase "

Black Is Beautiful Black is beautiful is a cultural movement that was started in the United States in the 1960s by African Americans. It later spread beyond the United States, most prominently in the writings of the Black Consciousness Movement of Steve Biko in ...

" that was printed on the pageant's poster. The ''Naturally'' pageants ran for five years, with the last one held in 1966. In the 1960s, his work also appeared in ''

New York Amsterdam News The ''Amsterdam News'' (also known as ''New York Amsterdam News'') is a weekly Black-owned newspaper serving New York City. It is one of the oldest newspapers geared toward African Americans in the United States and has published columns by s ...

'', '' The City Sun'', and ''The Daily Challenge''. He photographed concerts of

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

, and

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...

. In 2017, Brathwaite was honored at the 75th

Aperture In optics, an aperture is a hole or an opening through which light travels. More specifically, the aperture and focal length of an optical system determine the cone angle of a bundle of rays that come to a focus in the image plane. An opt ...

Gala.

Exhibitions

*''Black Is Beautiful: The Photography of Kwame Brathwaite'', organized by

Aperture Foundation Aperture Foundation is a nonprofit arts institution, founded in 1952 by Ansel Adams, Minor White, Barbara Morgan, Dorothea Lange, Nancy Newhall, Beaumont Newhall, Ernest Louie, Melton Ferris, and Dody Warren. Their vision was to create a forum fo ...

(2019) *''Icons of Style: A Century of Fashion Photography'',

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), is an art museum located in the Houston Museum District of Houston, Texas. With the recent completion of an eight-year campus redevelopment project, including the opening of the Nancy and Rich Kinder Build ...

(2019) *''Tools of Revolution: Fashion Photography and Activism'', Houston Center for Photography (2020) *''The Struggle Continues, Victory is Certain'', Philip Martin Gallery (2020) *''Facing Forward: Photographic Portraits from the Collection'', Santa Barbara Museum of Art (2021) *''Changing Times'', Philip Martin Gallery (2021) *''My Village/New York'', Philip Martin Gallery (2022) *''Things Well Worth Waiting For'',

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...

(2023).

External links

Kwame Brathwaite's website

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brathwaite, Kwame 1938 births 2023 deaths African-American photographers High School of Art and Design alumni 20th-century American painters Photographers from New York City American people of Barbadian descent 20th-century African-American painters 21st-century African-American artists