Malick Sidibe
| Malick Sidibé | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1935 or 1936 Soloba, Mali |
| Died | April 14, 2016 (aged 80–81) Bamako, Mali |
| Citizenship | Mali |
| Alma mater | Institut National des Arts de Bamako |
| Occupation | Photographer |
Malick Sidibé (born 1935 or 1936 – April 14, 2016) was a Malian photographer noted for his black-and-white studies of popular culture in the 1960s in Bamako. During his life, Sidibé gained an international reputation and was considered, along with Seydou Keïta, to be Mali's most famous photographer.
His work was the subject of a number of publications and exhibited throughout Europe and the United States. In 2007, he received a Golden Lion Award for Lifetime Achievement at Venice Biennale, becoming both the first photographer and the first African so recognized. Other awards he received included a Hasselblad Award for photography, an International Center of Photography Infinity Award for Lifetime Achievement, and a World Press Photo award. Sidibé's work is held in the collections of The Contemporary African Art Collection (CAAC), the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Sidibé was born in the village of Soloba, 300 km from Bamako, in Mali. From the age of five or six, he began herding animals and working the land. He became the first member of his family to attend school after he was chosen by the village chief to be sent to the white school in Yanfolila for an education. During his first year he became interested in art and by high school, he was doing drawings for official events. It was his skill in charcoal drawings that drew much attention to his talent and led to his selection for the Institut National des Arts de Bamako in the capital city of Bamako. While at this school, he was noticed by photographer Gérard Guillat-Guignard, who became a mentor and from whom, through close observation and practice, Sidibé learned the craft of photography.
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