Cissé Mamadou

c.1927 – 2003, Mali

A charismatic adventurer, soldier and a photographer for the French army, Cissé opened his own studio in Mali in the 1950s. Appointed official photographer of the country’s Ministry for Information, he continued working in his studio, usually at night time, creating portraits and nudes. Hence his reputation as a bon vivant. He died blind, leaving his negatives and work unclassified, most of them damaged or destroyed.

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