Photographer’s work captures African diaspora and societal changes in Ghana

DETROIT — He might not be a household name in America, but Ghanian photographer James Barnor is one of the most famous and influential photographers of the last 50 years.

Metro Detroiters have an opportunity to see a wide swath of his work in “James Barnor: Accra/London — A Retrospective,” which is on display through Oct. 15 at the Detroit Institute of Arts. The DIA is the only museum in the United States that will be hosting this exhibition, and it also is the final museum where it is being displayed.

DIA Director Salvador Salort-Pons, who called Barnor “a pioneering photographer,” said this “comprehensive survey … offers amazing views on the artist’s native Ghana,” as well as the African diaspora during a time of major social change.

The exhibition features about 170 works from Barnor’s archive of more than 30,000 images, dating from the 1950s through the 1980s. The original exhibition was organized in 2021 by London’s Serpentine galleries, where it was curated by Serpentine Chief Curator Lizzie Carey-Thomas and Awa Konaté, of Culture Art Society.

“This is the first major retrospective of his work,” Carey-Thomas said. “Nevertheless, he has a huge following.”

The Detroit retrospective was co-curated by DIA James Pearson Duffy Curator of Photography Nancy Barr, head of the Prints, Drawings and Photography Department, and African Art Curator Nii Quarcoopome.

“When I first saw photographs by James Barnor … I was struck by their quality and power,” Quarcoopome said.

Barr said Barnor’s work included fashion photography, photojournalism and editorial work. She noted that his images demonstrate his “passion for Ghanian music” and the fact that he is a “gifted storyteller and artist.” She said he also collaborated with Black models to showcase Black beauty.

Quarcoopome said Barnor’s photos showed how African society balanced modernity and tradition during this period.

“No history book can offer the kind of insights his photography provides. … Hopefully this exhibition succeeds in changing perceptions and misconceptions about Africa,” Quarcoopome said.

His subjects have included notable figures such as boxing legend Muhammad Ali and a former Ghanaian president, but Barnor didn’t elevate them above the ordinary people who populate most of his work.

“For James, there is no hierarchy among the images,” Carey-Thomas said. “They are all equally important and he often says people are more important than places.”

Even his advertising work is human-centric, with people dominating the image, not products.

Now in his 90s, Barnor lives in London.

“Each picture has a story,” Barnor said in a video message to Detroit audiences. “I hope you enjoy it.”

A historical timeline is included at the end of the exhibition, where visitors can write out a card about a moment they find significant.

Admission to this exhibition is free with regular museum admission, which means it’s free to residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. The DIA is located at 5200 Woodward Ave. in midtown. For more information, call (313) 833-7900 or visit dia.org.