James Barnor

Galerie Clémentine de la Féronnière, France

Acquired from the above by the present owner

After moving to the United Kingdom, Barnor returned to Ghana and began photographing people on the streets of the city rather than in his studio. This artwork suggests that by the 1970s, Ghanaian women were embracing natural hairstyles, possibly influenced by post-independence pride and the Black consciousness movements in the United States. The subject’s pose symbolises freedom—not just from colonial rule or racism, but also the newfound independence of women.

The present lot is one of the very rare Cibachrome prints made with James Barnor. A larger print of the same image is held in the collection of the Detroit Institute of Art.