amfahphotographyblog

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Malick Sidibé (Malian, 1936–2016), Look at Me!, 1962 printed 1999

Gelatin silver print, 16 3/4 × 17 in., Museum purchase funded by Nina and Michael Zilkha 99.221

Malick Sidibé’s joyful photographs of night-life in Bamako, Mali, captured the spirit of a country newly liberated from its colonial past. Moving from one party to the next in the wee hours, Sidibé captured young people intoxicated by the power of music, new freedom, and possibility. “People said if [I] was at a party,  it gave it energy,” the artist noted. “I would let people know I’d arrived by letting off my flash. You could feel the temperature rise right away.” Caught in the bright glare, the young revelers in Sidibé’s photographs are jubilant embodiments of youth and promise.

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Malick Sidibé (Malian, 1936–2016), Christmas Eve, 1963 printed 1999

Gelatin silver print, 47 × 44 7/16 in., Museum purchase funded by Nina and Michael Zilkha 99.223

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Coulibaly Siaka Paul (Ivorian, born 1964), Clubs of Bamako, 1999

Polychromed wood, 67 × 50 × 25 in., Museum purchase funded by Nina and Michael Zilkha 99.232-.233

Malick Sidibé’s photographs, produced in the 1960s through the mid-1970s, captured the parties around Bamako, Mali, where rock and roll had become the soundtrack of freedom. In 1999 artist Coulibaly Siaka Paul was commissioned to produce a sculpture based on Sidibé’s images. Faithfully rendered, the sculpture Clubs of Bamako brings the energy and spontaneity of a two-dimensional photograph into three dimensions, placing the viewer on the same Malian dance floor as Sidibé’s subjects, creating a tangible invitation to this carefree world.

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Malick Sidibé (Malian, 1936–2016), Very Good Friends in the Same Outfit, 1972, printed 1999

Gelatin silver print, 21 7/16 × 14 7/16 in., Museum purchase funded by Nina and Michael Zilkha 99.211

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Malick Sidibé (Malian, 1936–2016), The Technician of Radio Mali, 1966, printed 1999

Gelatin silver print, 13 3/4 × 10 1/4 in., Museum purchase funded by Nina and Michael Zilkha 99.214

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Malick Sidibé (Malian, 1936–2016), Babenco Club, 1966, printed 1998

Gelatin silver print, 16 3/4 × 17 in., Museum purchase funded by Nina and Michael Zilkha 99.224

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Malick Sidibé (Malian, 1936–2016), Look at Me with My Dark Glasses and My Hat, 1969, printed 1998

Gelatin silver print, 13 3/4 × 9 1/4 in., Museum purchase funded by Nina and Michael Zilkha 99.219

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Malick Sidibé (Malian, 1936–2016), Karim Keïta, the Gentleman, 1967, printed 1999

Gelatin silver print, 13 13/16 × 9 7/16 in., Museum purchase funded by Nina and Michael Zilkha 99.209

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Malick Sidibé (Malian, 1936–2016), Drissa Balo Wedding Party, 1967, printed 1999

Gelatin silver print, 14 × 9 7/16 in., Museum purchase funded by Nina and Michael Zilkha 99.218

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Malick Sidibé Malian, (1936–2016), James Brown Fans, 1965, printed 1999

Gelatin silver print, 17 3/8 × 11 5/8 in., Museum purchase funded by Nina and Michael Zilkha 99.213

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Malick Sidibé (Malian, 1936–2016), Look at Me!, With My Bag, Rings and Bracelets, 1968, printed 1999

Gelatin silver print,  16 3/4 × 17 in., Museum purchase funded by Nina and Michael Zilkha 99.210

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Malick Sidibé (Malian, 1936–2016), Bartenders, 1968, printed 1999

Gelatin silver print, 9 1/4 × 13 3/4 in., Museum purchase funded by Nina and Michael Zilkha 99.212

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Malick Sidibé (Malian, 1936–2016),  Merengue Dancer, 1964, printed 1998

Gelatin silver print,  13 7/8 × 9 3/8 in., Museum purchase funded by Nina and Michael Zilkha 99.220

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Malick Sidibé (Malian, 1936–2016), On the Floor under Their Feet, 1972, printed 1999

Gelatin silver print, 13 3/4 × 9 1/4 in., Museum purchase funded by Nina and Michael Zilkha 99.217