From 1948 to 1962, self-taught Seydou Keïta ran Bamako’s most famous photography studio. Owing to the quality of hi sprints and the sophistication of his portraits, Keïta quickly gained fame in Mali and throughout West Africa. His pictures distinguished themselves by their framing, their lighting, the models’ look, the position of their arms and hands, along with the use of varied backgrounds. Seydou Keïta closed his studio in 1962, to become an official photographer of the Malian government. Seydou Keïta has been exhibited widely and numerous solo exhibitions of his works were held, in institutions such as Le Grand Palais (2016), Tate Modern (2008), Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (2007), William Bennington Museum of Art, The University of Connecticut (2003), Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna (2001), Saint Louis Museum of Art (1998) and at the Museum of Modern Art of San Francisco (1997).