'Black is Beautiful' photographer Kwame Brathwaite has died at 85

Kwame Brathwaite, Self-portrait, African Jazz-Art Society & Studios (AJASS), Harlem, ca. 1964; from Kwame Brathwaite: Black Is Beautiful (Kwame Brathwaite/Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles/Aperture)

Kwame Brathwaite / Kwame Brathwaite

Photographer Kwame Brathwaite, who helped popularize the “Black is Beautiful” movement of the 1960s, has died. From Nelson Mandela to Muhammad Ali and the so-called Grandassa Models, Brathwaite’s work embraced Black power and beauty. He chronicled events such as The Motown Revue at the Apollo in 1963, The Jackson 5’s first trip to Africa in 1974, and the legendary Foreman-Ali fight, The Rumble in the Jungle.

Brathwaite’s death was announced by his son on Instagram.

“I am deeply saddened to share that my Baba, the patriarch of our family, our rock and my hero, has transitioned. Thank you for your love and support during this difficult time,” writes Kwame S. Brathwaite, who maintains his father’s archive.