Popularly known as “The Eye of Bamako”, Malick Sidibé showed the world the true richness of African culture through his splendid collections of photographs. Born in the Malian capital of Bamako in 1935, Malick defied the odds of poverty and social injustice to establish a career that the world still highly admires.
Although Malick Sidibe’s photographs were specifically meant to unveil the popular culture of Mali in the 1960s, the astute photographer was able to project the lenses of his camera to represent Africa as a whole and all the lovely untold stories of the continent.
Considering his handwork and persistence, in 2007 Malick Sidibe became the first African photographer to be awarded the Golden Lion Award for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Biennale in Italy
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He passed away on April 14, 2016.
In celebration of his legacy, join Face2Face Africa as we take a look at some of his beautiful photos.
Photo: Malick Sidibé/Galerie Magnin-A, Paris
Photo: Malick Sidibé/Galerie Magnin-A, Paris
Photo: Malick Sidibé
Un Jeune Gentleman, 1978 — Photo: Malick Sidibé/Galerie Magnin-A, Paris
Dansez le Twist, 1965 — Photo: Malick Sidibé
La gazelle/Avec mon Chapeau et mes Pattes d’Éléphant, 1974 — Photo: Malick Sidibé/CAAC – The Pigozzi Collection, Genève
Django Tire le Premier, 1971 — Photo: Malick Sidibé/Galerie Magnin-A, Paris
Regardez-moi!, 1962 — Photo: Malick Sidibé/Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Paris
Un Gentleman en Position, 1980 — Photo: Malick Sidibé/Galerie Magnin-A, Paris
Nuit de Noël (Happy-club), 1963 — Photo: Malick Sidibé /Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Paris
