Kwame Brathwaite Untitled (Model on Black Background) ca. 1970s/2019
© Courtesy of The Kwame Brathwaite Archive and Philip Martin Gallery
Kwame Brathwaite produced many of the iconic images that birthed the political and cultural tendency often referred to as the “Black is Beautiful” movement. With his brother, Elombe Brathwaite, he cofounded the African Jazz Arts Society and Studios (AJASS) in 1956 and Grandassa Models in 1962, organizations for musicians, writers, designers, models, and other Black creatives to produce and promote their work. AJASS and Grandassa produced fashion shows that elevated Black beauty, celebrating natural hair, African textiles, and African American culture.
In recent years, the art world has been rediscovering Brathwaite’s impressive photographic archive, establishing and promoting his artistic legacy within commercial art and philanthropic museum systems. Although these photographs were not exhibited or sold in commercial galleries or museums when they were produced, today they can be found in the collections of prominent institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. Emphasizing the aesthetic potential and influence of Brathwaite’s work, Untitled (Model on Black Background) embodies the essence of his photography, displaying themes such as the representation of Black female bodies in the media.
Identification
Title
Untitled (Model on Black Background)
Production Date
ca. 1970s/2019
Object Number
2020.207
Credit Line
Collection Pérez Art Museum Miami, museum purchase with funds provided by Jorge M. Pérez, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and PAMM Ambassadors for Black Art
Copyright
© Courtesy of The Kwame Brathwaite Archive and Philip Martin Gallery
https://www.pamm.org/en/artwork/2020.207
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Physical Qualities
Medium
Archival pigment print
Dimensions
60 x 60 inches
Visual Description
Untitled (AJASS Model on Black Background) by Kwame Braithwaite is an Archival pigment print from 1970 and printed in 2019. It measures 15 inches by 15 inches.The photo is an image of a tall, slender dark brown skinned woman, hands clapped together, in front of her, with her elbows raised parallel to her shoulders. She wears a long multi-color patterned dress with draped sleeves hanging to ankles.The background of the photograph is black, with a white cloud like floating mist of light in the right half of the image. At the center of the photo is a tall, slender dark brown skinned woman. She stands upright, arms raised with elbows facing outward. Her arms run parallel to her shoulder and collar bone. Her hands come together under her chin, with fingers clasped. The woman stares directly into the camera, her face back lit from the left, with direct light hitting the right side of her jaw. The upper right side of her face resides in shadow. Her hair is a large round Afro. The left side of her black hair blends with the blackness of the background. The right side of her hair is directly lit from the right, forming a white crescent. She wears a patterned dress that features orange, white, navy blue and pink. The patterns are divided into intersecting large star shaped patterns. The neckline of her dress plunges slightly past her sternum. The dress is gathered at her waist and flows down towards her ankles. The sleeves of her dress are draped over her arms and forearms. The sleeves hang down the full length of the dress in a regal manner. She wears black heeled shoes. The left foot faces the camera, and the right foot is turned towards the right, raised upward on her heel. Her foot and dress cast a shadow on the floor that is angled towards the left.
