Untitled (Model who embraced natural hairstyles at AJASS photoshoot)
Artist
Kwame Brathwaite
(American, 1938 - 2023)
CultureAmerican
Date1970, printed 2018
MediumArchival pigment print
DimensionsOverall, Frame: 31 1/8 × 31 1/8 × 2 in. (79.1 × 79.1 × 5.1 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase, in memory of Alice R. and Sol B. Frank
Object number2019.34.3
Not on view
DescriptionThis is a close-up depiction of an African America nude woman wearing cloth necklace. Her hair is in afro style and she looks upwards out into the distance. Her body is situated against a sky-blue background.Label TextKwame Brathwaite American, 1938-2023 Untitled (Model who embraced natural hairstyles at AJASS photoshoot), 1970, printed 2018 Archival pigment print, edition 4 of 5 For the past fifty years, Kwame Brathwaite has focused his documentary photographic practice on the African American community in Brooklyn and Harlem. The artist and his brother, Elombe, co-founded the social club African Jazz Arts Society and Studios (AJASS) and Grandassa, a modeling agency. AJASS promoted African American artists, musicians, writers, and designers with exhibitions and the famous slogan “Black is Beautiful.” Grandassa featured African American models promoting their natural hair texture and Afrocentric fashion and jewelry. In addition to photographing models, Brathwaite captured portraits of Harlem’s artistic community, including musicians such as Max Roach, Abbey Lincoln, and Miles Davis. These images were both staged and impromptu during performances. Museum purchase, in memory of Alice R. and Sol B. Frank 2019.34.3ProvenanceThe artist; Philip Martin Gallery; purchased by the Chrysler Museum of Art, 2019.
