Kwame Brathwaite, the legendary activist and photographer who played a crucial role in shaping the visuals of the “Black is Beautiful” movement during the 1960s, has sadly passed away at the age of 85 on April 1.
His son, Kwame Brathwaite, Jr, shared the news of his father’s passing on Instagram, expressing deep sorrow over the loss. Brathwaite’s pioneering work has experienced a resurgence of interest among curators, historians, and collectors in recent years. In 2019, the Aperture Foundation organized his first major retrospective at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, followed by a national tour.
Born to Barbadian immigrants in 1938, Brathwaite was raised in Brooklyn, New York, before settling in Harlem and later the South Bronx. He delved into photography after being inspired by powerful imagery of Emmett Till and witnessing photography without flash in a jazz club. This led him to master capturing the essence and mood of jazz icons like Miles Davis and John Coltrane.
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Utilizing a Hasselblad medium-format camera, Brathwaite perfected his unique style by working with limited light to enhance his visual storytelling. His darkroom technique for photographing Black skin added layers of depth to his work. He further challenged conventional beauty standards by creating the Grandassa Models, showcasing the beauty of Black women.
Brathwaite’s portfolio expanded to document other genres of Black music in the 1970s. He captured iconic moments like the Jackson Five’s tour in Africa and the historic boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. His commissions extended to photographing music legends such as Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, and Bob Marley.
Through the decades, Brathwaite remained dedicated to his craft and the message of “Black is Beautiful.” Despite his declining health, he continued working on photography commissions until 2018. His extraordinary legacy is celebrated in retrospectives across the United States, including the Blanton Museum of Art in Austin, Texas, and the Art Institute of Chicago.
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