Anthony Barboza
Encyclopedia
Anthony Barboza is an African-American photographer, historian, artist and writer. With roots originating from Cape Verde
, and work that began in commercial art over forty years ago, Barboza’s artistic talents and successful career helped him to cross over and pursue his passions in the fine arts where he continues to contribute to the American art scene.
Barboza has a prolific and wide range of both traditional and innovative African-American thought inspired works that have been exhibited in public and private galleries, and prestigious museums and educational institutions worldwide. He is well known for his photographic work of Jazz musicians
from the 70's - 80's. Many of these works are in his book, Black Borders, published in 1980 with a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. In an article printed in 1984 in The City Sun
, he said, “When I do a portrait, I’m doing a photograph of how that person feels to me; how I feel about the person, not how they look. I find that in order for the portraits to work, they have to make a mental connection as well as an emotional one. When they do that, I know I have it.” Many of his photographs achieve his signature effect through the careful use of lighting and shadows, manipulation of the backdrop, measured adjustments to shutter speeds, composition, and many other techniques and mediums at his command.
His most recent conceptual photographic artwork exhibit, Black Dreams/White Sheets, has toured internationally and was shown for the first time in New York City at the Bill Hodges Gallery in November and December 2010. Barboza takes a critical look at the role and experiences of the African Diaspora in the historical as well as contemporary context of race, sexuality, gender, politics, and social issues in American society and culture.
directly after graduating high school in 1963 at the age of 19 to study photography with Hugh Bell
, a successful Black fashion photographer who became his mentor and allowed Barboza to work for free in exchange for the opportunity to gain experience in the field. Prior to that, he met Adger Cowans, another of the few successful Black commercial photographers of the time, who would introduce Barboza to a group of Black professional photographers who were members of The Kamoinge Workshop. This group was originally directed by Roy De Carava and was created to promote serious dialogues about photography at a time when African-American photographers were still being discriminated against and excluded from mainstream professional photography. They were professionals who joined forces to support and help promote each other’s work by offering group commentary and criticism, and by mounting exhibitions together. Barboza carries on this tradition as the current president of what is now known as Kamoinge, Inc. and continues to support other Black professional and aspiring photographers in their work.
In 1965, Barboza was drafted into the Navy and became a full-time photographer for the Jacksonville, Florida based newspaper, The Gosport. It was there that he developed his craft and launched his career in a one-man exhibition at the Pensacola Art Museum and the Emily Lowe Gallery at the University of Miami.
, Newsweek
, Business Week, TV Guide, National Geographic, Town and Country
, Village Voice, Vibe, US, Vanity Fair, People, Esquire, GQ, Home, Elle (US, Canadian, French, and Spanish editions) Elle Decour, Vogue, McCalls, Interview, Details, Black Book, Harper’s Bazaar, Self, Glamour, Ms., Women’s Day, Cosmopolitan, Playboy
, Ebony, Black Enterprise, Geo (Germany), Art News, Washingtonian, Modern Maturity, Mode, Audubon, Redbook, Telegraph Mag
(U.K.), The Sunday Times Mag. (U.K.) Forbes, Fortune, USA Weekend
, Dance Magazine, Life Magazine, and the New York Times Sunday Magazine.
, Pepsi
, General Motors
, Kraft Foods
, HBO, Kodak, Revlon
, AT&T
, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Marines, Sony
, Miramax Films
, Burger King
, Aetna Life Insurance, Arista Records, Nissan, Coors
, Absolute Vodka, Reebok
, Random House
, Hanes, Clairol, Amtrak, Bahamas Tourist Board, Avon, Columbia Records, L'Oreal
, and many more.
for Dentsu Advertising of Japan.
American Art, 2009
video number one hit, "Hello."
She is also a groundbreaking daytime soap opera actress who played the role of Simone Ravelle Hardy
on the soap opera "General Hospital
" from 1987-1989. They have been married for over 25 years and live in Westbury, New York
with their three children.
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
, and work that began in commercial art over forty years ago, Barboza’s artistic talents and successful career helped him to cross over and pursue his passions in the fine arts where he continues to contribute to the American art scene.
Barboza has a prolific and wide range of both traditional and innovative African-American thought inspired works that have been exhibited in public and private galleries, and prestigious museums and educational institutions worldwide. He is well known for his photographic work of Jazz musicians
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
from the 70's - 80's. Many of these works are in his book, Black Borders, published in 1980 with a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. In an article printed in 1984 in The City Sun
The City Sun
The City Sun was a weekly newspaper that was published in Brooklyn from 1984 through 1996. Its primary focus was on issues of interest to African Americans in New York City....
, he said, “When I do a portrait, I’m doing a photograph of how that person feels to me; how I feel about the person, not how they look. I find that in order for the portraits to work, they have to make a mental connection as well as an emotional one. When they do that, I know I have it.” Many of his photographs achieve his signature effect through the careful use of lighting and shadows, manipulation of the backdrop, measured adjustments to shutter speeds, composition, and many other techniques and mediums at his command.
His most recent conceptual photographic artwork exhibit, Black Dreams/White Sheets, has toured internationally and was shown for the first time in New York City at the Bill Hodges Gallery in November and December 2010. Barboza takes a critical look at the role and experiences of the African Diaspora in the historical as well as contemporary context of race, sexuality, gender, politics, and social issues in American society and culture.
Career
Barboza came to New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
directly after graduating high school in 1963 at the age of 19 to study photography with Hugh Bell
Hugh Bell
Hugh Cecil Lancelot Bell is an American Photographer born in the west Indies who was raised in Harlem, New York. He is best known for his Jazz photographs from the 50's and 60's...
, a successful Black fashion photographer who became his mentor and allowed Barboza to work for free in exchange for the opportunity to gain experience in the field. Prior to that, he met Adger Cowans, another of the few successful Black commercial photographers of the time, who would introduce Barboza to a group of Black professional photographers who were members of The Kamoinge Workshop. This group was originally directed by Roy De Carava and was created to promote serious dialogues about photography at a time when African-American photographers were still being discriminated against and excluded from mainstream professional photography. They were professionals who joined forces to support and help promote each other’s work by offering group commentary and criticism, and by mounting exhibitions together. Barboza carries on this tradition as the current president of what is now known as Kamoinge, Inc. and continues to support other Black professional and aspiring photographers in their work.
In 1965, Barboza was drafted into the Navy and became a full-time photographer for the Jacksonville, Florida based newspaper, The Gosport. It was there that he developed his craft and launched his career in a one-man exhibition at the Pensacola Art Museum and the Emily Lowe Gallery at the University of Miami.
Photojournalism/Editorial Spreads
Barboza’s work has appeared in photojournalist and editorial spreads for: The New YorkerThe New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, Business Week, TV Guide, National Geographic, Town and Country
Town & Country (magazine)
Town & Country, formerly the Home Journal and The National Press, is a monthly American lifestyle magazine. It is the oldest continually published general interest magazine in the United States.-Early history:...
, Village Voice, Vibe, US, Vanity Fair, People, Esquire, GQ, Home, Elle (US, Canadian, French, and Spanish editions) Elle Decour, Vogue, McCalls, Interview, Details, Black Book, Harper’s Bazaar, Self, Glamour, Ms., Women’s Day, Cosmopolitan, Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
, Ebony, Black Enterprise, Geo (Germany), Art News, Washingtonian, Modern Maturity, Mode, Audubon, Redbook, Telegraph Mag
(U.K.), The Sunday Times Mag. (U.K.) Forbes, Fortune, USA Weekend
USA Weekend
USA Weekend is a national publication distributed through more than 800+ newspapers in the United States. It reaches 47 million readers in 22.6 million households every weekend. Awarded for its journalism and design, USA WEEKEND focuses on social issues, entertainment, health, food and travel....
, Dance Magazine, Life Magazine, and the New York Times Sunday Magazine.
Advertising
Other work Barboza has done has been for Coca-ColaCoca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
, Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
, General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
, Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods Inc. is an American confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate. It markets many brands in more than 170 countries. 12 of its brands annually earn more than $1 billion worldwide: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident, Tang...
, HBO, Kodak, Revlon
Revlon
Revlon is an American cosmetics, skin care, fragrance, and personal care company founded in 1932.-History:Revlon was founded in the midst of the Great Depression, 1932, by Charles Revson and his brother Joseph, along with a chemist, Charles Lachman, who contributed the "L" in the Revlon name...
, AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Marines, Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
, Miramax Films
Miramax Films
Miramax Films is an American entertainment company known for distributing independent and foreign films. For its first 14 years the company was privately owned by its founders, Bob and Harvey Weinstein...
, Burger King
Burger King
Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
, Aetna Life Insurance, Arista Records, Nissan, Coors
Coors Brewing Company
The Coors Brewing Company is a regional division of the world's fifth-largest brewing company, the Canadian Molson Coors Brewing Company and is the third-largest brewer in the United States...
, Absolute Vodka, Reebok
Reebok
Reebok International Limited, a subsidiary of the German sportswear company Adidas since 2005, is a producer of Athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle...
, Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
, Hanes, Clairol, Amtrak, Bahamas Tourist Board, Avon, Columbia Records, L'Oreal
L'Oréal
The L'Oréal Group is the world's largest cosmetics and beauty company. With its registered office in Paris and head office in the Paris suburb of Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, France, it has developed activities in the field of cosmetics...
, and many more.
Television
Barboza was a co-director for a TV commercial featuring his friend and famous Jazz legend Miles DavisMiles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
for Dentsu Advertising of Japan.
Art
- 2011 Hip-Hop: A Cultural Odyssey - Aria Multimedia Entertainment Publ. -Los Angeles, CA
- 2010 Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing: How the Apollo Theater Shaped American Entertainment-2010-Smithsonian Books
- 2010 Cousin Corrinne's Reminder issue #2- 2010 - Publ. Cousin Corrine Books-Brooklyn, NY
- 2010 Whitewall magazine -Winter- -publ. - Sky Art Media - NYC
- 2010 Harlem – Rizzoli Studio Museum
- 2009 Posing Beauty – Norton publ.
- 2009 Picturing New York – Museum of Modern Art, publ.
- 2009 100 New York Photographers – Schiffer publ.
- 2002 Day in the Life of Africa – Harper Collins publ.
- 2001 Committed to the Image: Contemporary Black Photographers – Brooklyn Museum of Art in association with Merrell
- 2000 Jazz: A History of America’s Music by Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns – Alfred A. Knopf publ., NYC
- 2000 Black Beauty by Ben Arongundade (Cover) – Pavilion Books, London, UK
- 1999 The Essence Total Makeover: Body, Beauty, Spirit – Crown Publ., NY
- 1999 Khaki “Cut from the Original Cloth” – Tondo Books
- 1998 Men of Color: Fashion, History and Fundamentals by Lloyd Boston Jr. Workman Publ.
- 1998 Collecting African American Art by Halima Taha-Crown Publ., NY
- 1998 Commitment: Fatherhood in Black America – Museum of Art and Archeology, University of Missouri-Colombia
- 1997 Dark Eros/Black Erotic Writings (Poetry & Nude photos) – St. Martin Press
- 1997 Black Art and Culture in the 20th Century – Thames and Hudson, London, UK
- 1996 Jerusalem – In the Shadow of Heaven – Collins Publ.
- 1995 Essence: 25 Years Celebrating Black Women – Abrams, NY
- 1994 Day in the Life of Israel – Viking
- 1994 Artist and Influence Vol XIII (Cover) – Hatch-Billops Collection
- 1993 African Americans – Viking
- 1992 Songs of My People – Little Brown
- 1992 Shooting Stars – Stuart, Tabori & Chang
- 1992 Flesh & Blood – Picture Project
- 1992 Color of Fashion – Stuart, Tabori & Chang/Kodak
- 1992 Day in the Life of Hollywood – Collins Publ.
- 1992 Outtakes (Portfolio) – I.C.P.
- 1990 The Meaning of Life – Time/Life
- 1989 Black Photographers 1940-1988 (Portfolio) – Garland publ.
- 1988 International Photo Magazine Ten. 8 (Cover, Portfolio) London
- 1986 Cliches Magazine 26 International Edition (Portfolio)
- 1985 American Photography, Vol. 1
- 1984 A World History of Photography, by Naomi Rosenbloom
- 1983 Macmillan’s Biographical Encyclopedia of Photographic Artists and Innovators – Macmillan’s Publ., NY
- 1982 Verlag Photographers – Polaroid Corp.
- 1981 Camera Arts Magazine (Portfolio)
- 1981 SX-70 Lustrum Press
- 1981 Fashion Theory – Lustrum Press
Permanent collections
- Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
- Museum of Modern Art, NYC, NY
- Studio Museum of Harlem, NYC, NY
- Howard University, Washington, DC
- University of Ghana, Ghana
- The New Jersey State Museum, Trenton, NJ
- Polaroid Collection, Polaroid Corp., Cambridge, MA
- Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY
- Fine Arts Museum of Houston, Houston, TX
- Orleans Public Library, Orleans, NY
- University of Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
- Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, Taipei, Taiwan
- Schomburg Public Library, NYC, NY
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institute, Washington, DC
- Mott-Warsh Collection, Detroit, MI
Exhibitions
- 2010 Black Dreams/White Sheets, Bill Hodges Gallery, NYC, NY
- 2010 We Want Miles – Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal, Canada
- 2010 Posing Beauty – Hamilton Art Gallery, Hamilton, Quebec, Canada
- 2009 We Want Miles – Citi de la Musique, Paris, France
- 2009 Champs Elysees Photo Festival (Paris, France)
- 2009 African American Museum of Nassau County, NY
- 2006 Sheldon Art Gallery, St. Louis, Mo. (One-Show, Jazz Moves)
- 2006 Nordstrom Dept. Stores, 14 Stores (Group Show – Kamoinge)
- 2003-2006 MTA New York City Transit Light Box Project 42nd & 6th Avenue Station (Jazz Moves – Solo)
- 2001, May - 2002, Feb Missouri History Museum, St. Louis, MO (Group exhibit Miles Davis Retrospective)
- 2001 Brooklyn Museum, NY, (Group show, Committed to the Image: Contemporary Black Photographers)
- 1999 Smithsonian Institute, Washington, DC (Group exhibit, Seeing Jazz)
- 1999 UFA Gallery, NYC, (Group Show, Jazz Plus)
- 1997 Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, Taipei, Taiwan (Group Show, International Exhibition of Photography & Related Visual Arts)
- 1996 Robert Mann Gallery, NYC. (One Man Show, Piano for Days)
- 1996 Gallerie im Haus 19, Munchen, West Germany, (Group show, FE:MALE, The Beauty of Human Form)
- 1990 Time-Life Tour (Group show Songs of My People)
- 1990 Cinque Gallery, NY, (Two-Man show, Jazz)
- 1989 Drew University (One-Man show)
- 1989 Washington, DC, Project of the Arts (Group show, The Blues Aesthetic Black Culture and Modernism)
- 1985 City of Munich, West Germany (Group show, Nude in Photography) Exhibition and Book
- 1984 Photokina, West Germany (Group show)
- 1982 Studio Museum of Harlem, NYC (One man show, Introspect)
- 1982 Photokina West Germany (Group show)
- 1978 Museum of Modern Art, NYC (Group show, Mirrors and Windows: American since 1960)
- 1975 International Center of Photography, NYC, (Group show Kamoinge Workshop)
- 1974 James Vanderzee Institute, Friends Gallery of New York (One man show)
- 1974 Light Gallery, NYC (One man show)
- 1974 Colombia College of Chicago, (Group show)
- 1973 Light Impressions Gallery, Rochester, NY (One man show)
- 1972 Floating Foundation of New York City (Group show)
- 1972 Studio Museum of Harlem, NYC (Group show: Eye rap)
- 1971 Studio Museum of Harlem, NYC (Group show: The Kamoinge Workshop)
- 1971 Addison Gallery of American Arts, Andover, Mass. (One man show)
- 1971 Studio Museum of Harlem, NYC (One a Piece)
- 1969 Swain School of Design, New Bedford, Mass. (One man show)
- 1969 Jacksonville Art Museum, Jacksonville, Florida (One man show)
- 1968 Morgan State College, Baltimore, MD (One man show)
- 1967 Emily Lowe Gallery, Univ. of Miami, FL (One man show)
- 1966 Pensacola Art Museum, Pensacola, FL (One man show)
Oral History
- Oral History Interview With Anthony Barboza, Smithsonian Archives of
American Art, 2009
Black Borders
- Photographs: Anthony Barboza
- Text: Ntozake Shange and Steven Barboza
- Self-published: 1980, with a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts
Lectures
- 2011 Black Portrait Symposium, Tisch School of the Arts, New York University, NY
- 2009 Nassau Community College, Long Island, NY
- 2007 Columbia College of Photography, Chicago, IL
- 2005 Tisch School of the Arts, New York University, NY
- 2002 Wadsworth Anthenum, Hartford, CT
- 2001 Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI
- 1993 Guest teacher (one semester,) Tisch School of the Arts, New York University, NYC, NY
- 1991 Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY
- 1989 Lowell University, Lowell, MA
- 1985 Ohio University, Athens, OH
- 1986 Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH
- 1983 International Center of Photography, NYC, NY
- 1983 Columbia College of Photography, Chicago, IL
- 1982 Massachusetts State Council of the Arts
- 1975 International Center of Photography, NYC, NY
Grants
- 2000 New York Foundation of the Arts
- 1980 National Endowment of the Arts
- 1976 &1974 New York State Council of the Arts
Service
- 1998-2000 Associate Curator of Photography for the 2001 exhibition Committed to the Image: Contemporary Black Photographers Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY
- 1981 Panelist-judge, National Endowment of the Arts
- 1978 Panelist-judge, Massachusetts State Council of the Arts
- 1973 Panelist-judge, New York State Council of the Arts
Personal life
Anthony Barboza is married to Laura Carrington, a starring actress in the 1984 Lionel RichieLionel Richie
Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Since 1968, he has been a member of the musical group Commodores signed to Motown Records...
video number one hit, "Hello."
Hello (Lionel Richie song)
"Hello" is a song by Lionel Richie. Taken as the third single from Richie's multi-platinum album Can't Slow Down, the song was released in 1984 and reached number one on three Billboard music charts: the pop chart , the R&B chart , and the adult contemporary chart . The song also went to number one...
She is also a groundbreaking daytime soap opera actress who played the role of Simone Ravelle Hardy
Simone Ravelle Hardy
Simone Hardy is a fictional character on the American soap opera General Hospital. The role was portrayed by Laura Carrington from 1987 until 1989. Stephanie Williams portrayed the role from 1990 until 1993. Felecia M...
on the soap opera "General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
" from 1987-1989. They have been married for over 25 years and live in Westbury, New York
Westbury, New York
Westbury incorporated in 1932 as a village in Nassau County, New York in the United States. The population was 15,146 at the 2010 census.The Village of Westbury is in the Town of North Hempstead....
with their three children.
External links
- Official website
- http://3dvas.com/galleries/gallery.php?ex=3191
- http://www.vozimage.com/vozrezo/portrait/tabid/63/ItemID/322/Default.aspx
- http://apps.carleton.edu/campus/gallery/collection/highlights/?image_id=80007
- http://filmtv.tisch.nyu.edu/object/Beautya03162011133059.html
- http://press.umsystem.edu/spring1998/museum.htm
- http://www.mbam.qc.ca/milesdavis/en/expo.html
- http://mlk.geneseo.edu/barboza.htm
- http://www.curatorial.org/exhibPosingBeauty.html
- Oral history interview with Anthony Barboza, 2009 Nov. 18-19 from the Smithsonian Archives of American ArtArchives of American ArtThe Archives of American Art is the largest collection of primary resources documenting the history of the visual arts in the United States. More than 16 million items of original material are housed in the Archives' research centers in Washington, D.C...