james barnor serpentine exposition art contemporain

James Barnor: A Major Photographer At The Serpentine

01/03/2021 - 30/06/2021
Oceane Kinhouande / 2020-07-21
2 minutes read

In 2021, the Serpentine will present a major survey of British-Ghanaian photographer James Barnor, whose career spans six decades, two continents and numerous photographic genres

A black lifestyle photographer

It’s the first major survey of British-Ghanaian photographer James Barnor, whose career as a studio portraitist, photojournalist and Black lifestyle photographer spans six decades and records major social and political changes in London and Accra.

Constance Mulondo, London University, published in Drum magazine, August 1967 © James Barnor
Constance Mulondo, London University, published in Drum magazine, August 1967 © James Barnor

Born in 1929 in Ghana, James Barnor established his famous Ever Young studio in Accra in the early 1950s, capturing a nation on the cusp of independence in an ambiance animated by conversation and highlife music. In 1959 he arrived in London, furthering his studies and continuing assignments for influential South African magazine Drum which reflected the spirit of the era and the experiences of London’s burgeoning African diaspora. He returned to Ghana in the early 1970s to establish the country’s first colour processing lab while continuing his work as a portrait photographer and embedding himself in the music scene.

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Mous Lamrabat, Fatimatrousjkas1, 2019 Explore and collect contemporary fine Art from Africa on artskop.com. Click on the image.
Explore and collect contemporary Fine Art from Africa on artskop.com. Click on the image. Mous Lamrabat, Fatimatrousjkas1, 2019

The 91st birthday of this pioneering photographer was celebrated on 6 June 2020 with #StillEverYoung, an online exhibition of his work.

James Barnor
Serpentine Galleries
Exposition d’art contemporain
London W2 3XA
Royaume-Uni

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About the author

Oceane Kinhouande

After graduating with a law degree from the University Panthéon-Assas Paris II, I joined ICART Paris to pursue an MBA in International Art Market. I am passionate about contemporary art from Africa and Afro-descendant cultures. I believe it is vital and important that contemporary art from Africa informs us about the multiplicity and nuances of its realities. It is also very important to me that this artistic expression be a vector of African and Afro-descendant history, identity and innovation.

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