Now on view: "Seydou Keïta: A Tactile Lens" at the Brooklyn Museum

A new exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum is the most expansive North American exhibition of the Malian photographer Seydou Keïta's work, who documented the vibrant cosmopolitanism of Bamako during a critical time in West African History.

- By ROBERT GERHARDT

When you make your way up to the 4th floor of the Brooklyn Museum to see their new exhibition of the photographs of Malian photographer Seydou Keïta's work. You are met with deep blue walls and a huge portrait of the man himself in the first room, appearing serene in a white shirt, looking right at the camera, delicately holding a flower. It is a beautiful entrance to an even more beautiful exhibition.

Keïta was born around 1921 in Bamako-Coura, or New Bamako, a growing colonial commercial center within the historic Malian city of Bamako. His first camera, given to him at age 14, was a Kodak Brownie, a gift from his uncle, who had brought it back from a trip to Senegal. In 1935, Keïta became an apprentice to Mountaga Dembélé, Mali's first professional photographer to earn a living through his studio. He went on to open his own studio in 1948 in front of his family's home, becoming Mali's second photographer.