From July 5 to January 18, 2026, the Mougins Center for Photography presents a major retrospective dedicated to Kwame Brathwaite, a seminal figure of the Black is Beautiful movement. Photographer, activist, and visionary, Brathwaite redefined Black beauty and identity through images that have become icons of African-American pride.
Beauty as a Visual Revolution
In 1960s Harlem, Kwame Brathwaite turned photography into a powerful act of emancipation. Inspired by Marcus Garvey’s pan-African philosophy, he founded the AJASS (African Jazz-Art Society & Studios) collective with his brother Elombe.
Around them, a movement emerged: the Grandassa Models — young women proudly embracing their natural beauty, Afro hairstyles, and handmade African-inspired clothing.
Brathwaite’s images — radiant, proud, and luminous — became a silent yet resounding declaration: “Black is Beautiful.”
Through his lens, he did more than show; he uplifted. He celebrated an identity long denied and transformed photography into a peaceful weapon of liberation.
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An Artist at the Crossroads of Music, Fashion, and Politics
At the AJASS studios, creation was a collective endeavor.
Brathwaite photographed events such as Naturally ’65 and Miss Natural Standard of Beauty, where Black beauty became performance, statement, and manifesto.
His lens soon reached a wider artistic community: Abbey Lincoln, Max Roach, Stevie Wonder, Bob Marley, Muhammad Ali…
All stood before his camera, all contributing to a vast visual narrative of reclaimed dignity.
“His images sing freedom, joy, and the pride of being.” — François Cheval, curator of the exhibition
A Tribute Exhibition at the Mougins Center for Photography
Presented as part of the Grand Arles Express, Kwame Brathwaite – Black is Beautiful marks the artist’s first European retrospective.
Curators François Cheval and Yasmine Chemali offer a powerful and intimate journey through archives, portraits, and iconic moments.
The large-scale prints create a dialogue between intimacy and collective strength: Harlem becomes a stage of resistance where every gaze proclaims “I am.”
Also worth reading:
• Urban Photo 2025 – Exhibition at Quai de la Photo
• Photo Days, Offprint… when Paris becomes the capital of images
Untitled. Deedee Little, Grandassa Model in a car during the Garvey Day parade
c. 1965, pigment print, 72.6 × 101.6 cm Courtesy of the Kwame Brathwaite Archive and Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles.
Legacy and Contemporary Relevance
In 2025, Kwame Brathwaite’s message resonates with renewed urgency.
In a world still shaped by questions of identity, representation, and diversity, his work reminds us that loving one’s own image is already an act of liberation.
His photographs — now part of the collections of the MoMA, LACMA, and the Pérez Art Museum Miami — continue to inspire artists, activists, and creators worldwide.
Practical Information
Exhibition: Kwame Brathwaite – Black is Beautiful
Venue: Mougins Center for Photography
Dates: July 5 → January 18, 2026
Curators: François Cheval, Yasmine Chemali
Hours: 11 am → 7 pm (closed Tuesdays)
Admission: €6 / Free on the first Sunday of the month
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