A groundbreaking retrospective exhibition at the Center for Photography in Mougins, France, is paying tribute to Kwame Brathwaite, the African American photographer and activist who played a pivotal role in launching and promoting the "Black is Beautiful" movement during the 1960s. The exhibition, running until January 18, 2026, marks the first comprehensive European showcase of Brathwaite's influential work, which transformed both photography and political consciousness during a crucial era in American civil rights history.
Born in New York in 1938 and passing away in 2023, Brathwaite was far more than just a photographer – he was a cultural revolutionary who used his camera to challenge beauty standards and promote Black pride. The exhibition demonstrates how photography and fashion became powerful tools for spreading new political ideas, with Brathwaite serving as a perfect example of this intersection between art and activism.
The retrospective opens with a striking 1964 black-and-white photograph showing six young African Americans in suits and ties looking directly at the camera. These were members of AJASS (African Jazz-Art Society & Studios), an artist collective that Brathwaite helped establish in the South Bronx. In the center of this assembly, Brathwaite himself holds a camera, with his brother Elombe Brath seated in front of him. This collective of Manhattan School of Industrial Art graduates, deeply influenced by Marcus Garvey's pan-Africanist philosophy, advocated for the liberation of people of African descent through economic autonomy.
AJASS produced jazz concerts, art exhibitions, and cultural events in Harlem and the Bronx, with the ambitious goal of representing, celebrating, and developing Black culture. For several decades, Brathwaite documented the group's activism while working alongside his brother Elombe to popularize the phrase "Black is Beautiful." He began by photographing jazz musicians in Bronx and Harlem clubs – being a musician himself – capturing the concerts he organized and the accompanying performances that blended poetry, theater, and dance.
Brathwaite's most revolutionary contribution came through the creation of the Grandassa Models, a troupe of African American women who embodied Black beauty and pride. The name "Grandassa" derived from "Grandassaland," a term used by Black nationalist Carlos Cooks to refer to Africa, whose teachings Brathwaite followed. These young women were showcased in fashion shows, with the first event, "Naturally '62," mixing fashion and politics to a packed audience at the Purple Manor nightclub in Harlem in January 1962. This event officially launched the "Black is Beautiful" movement.
The exhibition features photographs of models with dark skin and unstraightened hair, adorned with head jewelry and African-inspired headdresses, wearing garments made from fabrics imported from Accra and Nairobi. These women, freed from dominant Western aesthetic standards, encouraged African American women to reclaim their bodies and feel beautiful in their natural appearance, including their natural Afro hair texture. One particularly striking image shows Grandassa model Nomsa Brath, elegant in a dress and high heels, promoting natural hairstyles in front of a wig shop in 1963, holding a sign proclaiming "Natural: Yes! Wigs: No."
The photographer's influence extended far beyond the modeling world. During the 1970s, Brathwaite collaborated with major music figures including Stevie Wonder, for whom he served as official photographer, along with James Brown, Fela Kuti, and Bob Marley, with whom he developed a close friendship. The exhibition displays various photographs of these artists both on and off stage. A particularly striking black-and-white photograph shows Miles Davis hitting a punching bag in a New York boxing gym around 1964. According to the exhibition notes, the legendary trumpeter was close to Brathwaite "both artistically and politically" and was "one of AJASS's greatest supporters, even financing some of the early shows."
Brathwaite's lens captured historic moments across continents. He accompanied the Jackson Five during their first trip to Africa in 1974, notably to Gorée Island in Senegal, and was present that same year in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, during the famous "Fight of the Century" between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. Working with several record labels, he created album covers for artists including Abbey Lincoln, Lou Donaldson, and Max Roach. The exhibition features a dedicated corner showcasing these album covers, complete with listening stations where visitors can comfortably experience the era's musical selections.
Reflecting on his career, Brathwaite wrote: "I was fortunate to be part of an emerging artistic scene at a time characterized by the convergence of art, politics, and above all, music. The strong soul of rhythm and blues and disco, the groovy soul of jazz sounds, the roots soul of reggae, the Caribbean soul of calypso, the spiritual soul of gospel, the sad and dragging soul of authentic blues, the frank soul of rap: all these musics are dominated by the essence of the Black experience, and carry with them anyone who ventures to listen and tries to understand them. This feeling, this momentum, this emotion, can be truly fascinating. I tried to restore them in my work."
After years of relative obscurity, Brathwaite's work has experienced a significant revival. In 2019, Rihanna cited him as inspiration for her first Fenty clothing collection, and a major traveling retrospective organized by his son toured the United States from 2021 to 2023. More recently, some of his photographs were featured in the "Disco: I'm Coming Out" exhibition at the Philharmonie de Paris. A documentary about his life and work is currently in development, which may demonstrate that while the "Black is Beautiful" movement achieved many victories, inclusivity remains far from universal in 2025.
The "Kwame Brathwaite: Black is Beautiful" exhibition at the Center for Photography in Mougins (Alpes-Maritimes) was originally scheduled to run until October 5, 2025, but has been extended until January 18, 2026. The venue is open daily except Mondays from 11 AM to 7 PM through the end of September. From October through January, it operates daily except Mondays and Tuesdays from 1 PM to 6 PM. Admission costs 6 euros, with reduced rates of 3 euros for students and free entry for all visitors during European Heritage Days on September 19 and 20.
