Back Views [Vues de Dos]

2001

Not on view

In the early 2000s, following his international success, Sidibé produced a number of portraits of his friends, neighbors, and family members standing with their back to the camera, echoing the stance of film actors as they exit a scene. According to scholars, Sidibé began developing this pose as early as the 1960s. Here, he pushes the self-assured attitude conveyed by this pose to the extreme, withholding completely the sitter’s facial features. In this series, Sidibé questions established conventions of portraiture and leaves the viewer wondering about the sitter’s identity.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: Back Views [Vues de Dos]
Artist: Malick Sidibé (Malian, Soloba 1936–2016 Bamako)
Date: 2001
Geography: Mali
Medium: Gelatin silver print in original frame of reverse-painted glass, tape, cardboard, string
Dimensions: Overall: 8 3/8 x 6 in. (21.3 x 15.2 cm)
Classification: Photographs
Credit Line: Purchase, James J. Ross Gift, 2003
Object Number: 2003.123
Rights and Reproduction: © Estate of Malick Sidibé
Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

More Artwork

By Malick Sidibé

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Baptême chez Jafuna, Malick Sidibé Malian, Gelatin silver print — Baptême chez Jafuna
Malick Sidibé
ca. 1968

Je veux être seule, Malick Sidibé Malian, Gelatin silver print — Je veux être seule
Malick Sidibé
1979

[Woman Standing Before Striped Background], Malick Sidibé Malian, Gelatin silver print — [Woman Standing Before Striped Background]
Malick Sidibé
1979

Qui danse le mieux

Malick Sidibé

1965, printed 1998

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