70’s Lifestyle,
1975–78, printed 2022

Samuel Fosso, born 1962, Kumba, Cameroon; active Bangui, Central African Republic; Aba, Nigeria; and Paris, France

2022-199

Fosso was just thirteen when he opened his photography studio in Bangui, and he soon began experimenting with self-portraiture after studio hours. Initially intended for his grandmother in Nigeria, these images evolved into his 70s Lifestyle series. Drawing on conventions of West African studio photography, Fosso also takes inspiration from international fashion magazines to adopt a range of costumes, props, poses, and backdrops, his identity shifting with each combination of elements. Here a studio stool becomes a pedestal for his gleaming go-go boots. The bright studio lights, deliberately left within the frame, assert the performative, constructed nature of the image.

Information

Title

70’s Lifestyle

Dates

1975–78, printed 2022

Maker

Samuel Fosso

Medium

Gelatin silver print

Dimensions

image: 46.7 × 46.7 cm (18 3/8 × 18 3/8 in.) sheet: 64.9 × 50.6 cm (25 9/16 × 19 15/16 in.)

Credit Line

Museum purchase, Carl Otto von Kienbusch Jr. Memorial Collection Fund

Object Number

2022-199

Culture

Nigerian, Cameroonian

Type

gelatin silver prints, photographs

[Purdy Hicks Gallery]; purchased by Princeton University Art Museum, November 2022.

Art on Hulfish | Samuel Fosso: Affirmative Acts Saturday, November 19, 2022–Sunday, January 29, 2023

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Citation

Samuel Fosso (born 1962, Kumba, Cameroon; active Bangui, Central African Republic; Aba, Nigeria; and Paris, France), 70’s Lifestyle, 1975–78, printed 2022. Gelatin silver print; 46.7 × 46.7 cm (image), 64.9 × 50.6 cm (sheet). Museum purchase, Carl Otto von Kienbusch Jr. Memorial Collection Fund (2022-199)
Princeton University Art Museum.
https://artmuseum.princeton.edu/art/collections/objects/140634

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