Malick Sidibé – The Sarakolé Family – Signed print

Malick Sidibé (1936-2016) is today considered one of the greatest masters of African photography.
In 1958, he opened his own photo studio in Bamako where he worked until his death in 2016. During the sixties and seventies, he spends his nights documenting youth in their party places, and his days in his studio, capturing portraits in unusual settings.

The famous Malian portraitist and forerunner of contemporary African photography started out as a cattle herder! It was thanks to a meeting with a Frenchman that he took up photography in 1958 in Bamako, where he opened an amateur studio on the street. Nicknamed Bamako’s eye, he specialized in street portraits, which he transformed into moments both historic and poetic.
From 1994, Sidibé has enjoyed worldwide success, exhibiting in major European and American museums. He was awarded the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale of Contemporary Art in 2007.