Kwame Brathwaite’s NYC “Black Is Beautiful” Moments
Sometimes the smaller exhibitions in an art or history museum will bowl you over with their power. Individual pieces and groups of pieces will captivate you and be more memorable than the big-ticket exhibitions that are touted more highly. This was the case with “Black Is Beautiful: The Photography of Kwame Brathwaite.” Born in 1938 in Brooklyn, and living and working in NYC, Brathwaite’s commercial and artistic photographic work was honoured in 2017 at the 75th Aperture Gala. As well as the focus of three exhibitions in 2019 and 2020. His documentation of Black life in NYC is well represented in this show.
The main room of this modestly sized exhibit is stunning. One wall is dominated by three huge color photographs of women, largely headshots. Their gazes create a balanced tableau: the one on the left, with a red backdrop, faces inward and she looks to the viewer from the side, a slight smile on her lips. The woman in the center looks up, her backdrop a sky blue; and the woman on the right looks toward the center, her backdrop olive green. This trio of models is a polished and spirited trio.
In the center of the room are three mannequins, each wearing a very different outfit. On the side walls are smaller photographs, color and black-and-white, and pieces of jewelry in a showcase.
There is a dramatic contrast between the casual and street photos of people in the parades and elsewhere (and mostly in black-and-white) throughout Harlem in particular, and the modeling photographs, some of which are in vivid color and are large in scale. Brathwaite’s photographs displayed here show that he has been able to capture pictures in the moment as well as highly posed, deliberate portraits.
It isn’t as easy as one might think for a photographer to create compelling photographs that are both the casual category and the staged, portrait style. Brathwaite’s work here shows that he has been able to work strongly in both styles. And the selection of photographs here constitutes a powerful homage to the 1960s in particular. These photographs reflect the style, feeling, and attitudes of Black NYC in that time.
It is important to note that Brathwaite coined and popularized the term “Black is Beautiful”. Succinct and strong, this phrase captured a feeling, offered encouragement and stood defiant in the face of mockery, criticism (overt and covert) and helped to influence more than just pop culture but also socioeconomic expectations, and also had the incisiveness of an advertising agency slogan. These photographs do embody his words.
This exhibition is also particularly important for a museum such as the New-York Historical Society. By showing the work of an African-American, New York born and based photographer, who focused his lens on people and places within the city itself, they strengthen their mission to show various facets of New York history and culture. One of the other exhibitions concurrent with the Brathwaite exhibition focuses on Jewish delicatessens, with pictures and memorabilia of that corner of NYC life. Ethnic groups and their social factors are very integral to NYC, and “Black Is Beautiful” helps to continue this educational mission.
One of my favorite photographs here shows seven female models, most of them standing on what seem to be small ramps. But look more carefully and you will realize that they are posed atop playground climbing pieces, of a minimalistic style that was popular in the 1960s. These were created in mind for children’s creative play, and here they are put to use for a modeling shoot that evokes urban fun and mid-century flair.
In recent years, the New-York Historical Society has shown exhibitions that reflect intriguing aspects of African American culture. In addition to Black Is Beautiful, there is another current exhibition, “Crafting Freedom: The Life and Legacy of Free Black Potter Thomas W. Commeraw.” Past exhibitions such as the “Black Dolls” exhibition (and reviewed in ROUTES), and the exhibition “Augusta Savage: Renaissance Woman” retrospective held in 2019, as well as others, have explored the work and influence of Black men and women in New York and elsewhere within the United States.
GrandassaModels (thegrandassamodels.com)
Kwame Brathwaite’s official website
Black Dolls Reflecting an Array of Cultural Ideas | ROUTES (routes-mag.com)
This traveling exhibition is on display at the NYHS through January 15, 2023.
Cheers