“When you’re a photographer, you always have to come up with ideas to please the customer….You try to obtain the best pose, the most advantageous profile, because photography is an art, everything should be as close to perfection as possible…Art is beauty.” - Seydou Keïta

Widely considered one of the most prolific African studio photographers of the 20th century, Seydou Keïta’s portraits are known not only for their mastery in composition and ingenuity but also for standing as a testimony to the changes in Malian society across his time.

He believed that each of his photographs carried an obligation to fulfill the wish of each of his sitters. The present lot is no exception, presenting the young woman with perfected nonchalance leaning on the radio, while also artfully displaying her fashion. His perspective and popularity led him to be named Mali’s official photographer in the winter of 1962 and held that position for another fifteen years before retiring.

The most extensive retrospective of Keïta’s work to date will be on view at the Brooklyn Museum beginning this October, including almost 275 prints, textiles, and personal artifacts.