NEW YORK, NY.- Danziger Gallery announced its continued official representation in America of the Seydou Ke飔a estate along with the Nathalie Obadia Gallery in Europe. Almost all the images in Seydou Ke飔a: A Tactile Lens, currently on view at the Brooklyn Museum – and in Ideas of Africa: Portraiture and Political Imagination at the Museum of Modern Art in New York come from this estate. Both are currently on view.

Since his photographs were first seen in the west 30 years ago, Seydou Ke飔a has been acknowledged as one of the great practitioners of the medium, his work collected and shown by the world’s leading museums.

Born circa 1921, Seydou Ke飔a lived in Bamako, Mali, where from 1948 through the 1950s he ran a successful portrait studio taking pictures of local individuals and families. Essentially self-taught, Ke飔a developed his trademark style photographing his sitters in daylight against a variety of backdrops from plain drapes to vibrant African pattern. No matter the situation Ke飔a had a natural gift and a refined aesthetic that made his portraits distinctive works of art. Technically, his negatives were perfectly exposed and focused. More importantly however, his pictures captured the spirit of his sitters in the most generous manner and in naturally captivating compositions.

Completely unknown outside of Bamako, Ke飔a was “discovered” by westerners in the early 90’s due to the eye of African Art collector Jean Pigozzi. After seeing two uncredited pictures in a 1992 group show of African Art, Pigozzi sent his curator Andr� Magnin to Mali to try to locate the un-named artist from Bamako. Magnin found Ke飔a repairing bicycles and returned to Paris with 921 negatives Ke飔a had buried when the government shut down his studio. Pigozzi then arranged for one of the leading printers in Paris to make archival prints of the images under Ke飔a’s supervision.

In 1994 Ke飔a was given a solo show at the Fondation Cartier followed by an impressive number of museum shows around the world. By the time of his death in 2001 Ke飔a was not only recognized as a master of photography but in his use of contrasting backdrops his work has influenced a whole generation of artists, most notably painters Mickalene Thomas and Kehinde Wiley, and triggered a worldwide interest in African photography.

The prints on exhibition are authenticated estate prints limited to editions of 10 prints of each image. Each print comes with a certificate signed by Ke飔a’s heirs, Cheickin� and Mamadou Ke飔a.