Malick Sidibé

In 1955, after studying drawing and jewellery making, Sidibé trained as a photographer with Gérard Guillat-Guignard. He opened his first studio in Bamako in 1958; then in 1962, he moved into the Bagadadji quarter. Sidibé's work consisted of both portraits in his studio, and many reportages on the youth culture in the new state of Mali: soirées, surprise parties, marriages, festivals with dancing where there was a particular emphasis on dressing fashionably, as well as bars, youth clubs where they would gather to listen to pop music, rock and roll, and soul music, and outings on the banks of the Niger River. He was both a witness and an actor in the changes experienced by African youth of the period, torn between ancient traditions and the emergence of modern fashions, music, and lifestyles inspired by the Western world. This societal change became the main subject of his oeuvre.

In 1995, the Fondation Cartier presented Sidibé's first solo exhibition outside the African continent. It was an opportunity for the public to discover the immense body of work of the Eye of Bamako who selected contemporary prints (dating from 1960–1980) created by the artist himself. In 2017, one year after he passed away, the Fondation Cartier paid homage to him with Mali Twist, an exhibition featuring a large retrospective of the photographer's work, including works that had never been shown, and a series of vintage photographs and portraits. The title of the exhibition refers to a song of the same name by Malian singer and guitarist Boubacar Traoré, which was released in 1963.