Seydou Keita, legend of African photography, dies

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Seydou Keita, one of Africa's leading 20th Century photographers, has died.

Working in his hometown of Bamako in Mali, Keita established himself as an inventive portrait photographer during the Forties, and his studio became famous throughout west Africa. Here he developed his trademark style, often dressing his clients in intricately embroidered robes and posing them against patterned backdrops on a chaise longue, or sitting on a scooter.

His work is represented in the UK by Hackelbury Fina Art in London. A retrospective of his work is planned for the Studio Museum in Harlem in the Netherlands next year.

You can see an exhibition with the work of this great photographer in our Gallery section.