Malick Sidibé
(1936-2016), PhotographerSitter in 1 portrait
Sidibé studied showed artistic promise at a young age, he studied jewellery making in Bamako, graduating in 1955. Gérard Guillat, a French photographer, gave Sidibé the opportunity to decorate his shop, by 1956 he was Guillat's apprentice. Sidibé bought his first camera the same year and began photographing private events for clients and making portraits. Despite being blind in one eye since childhood, he observed acutely, documenting youth culture in the wake of independence in Mali. He opened his own portrait studio in 1962, while continuing to do reportage until the late 1970s. He gained international repute in the 1990s when western scholars and curators 'discovered' his work, becoming the first African photographer and artist, to receive a Golden Lion award for lifetime achievement at the Venice Biennale (2007). His work is held in the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and other prominent collections.
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