James Barnor, a pioneer of Ghanaian photography
James Barnor, born in 1929 in Accra, has had an incredible career spanning a fascinating period of history. He worked in Accra and London, thereby bridging continents, cultures and genres. His portraits bear witness to a society in transition, with Ghana moving towards independence and London becoming a cosmopolitan and multicultural metropolis.
He began by taking portraits primarily to meet the demands of his clientele. In his studio, ‘Ever Young’, in Jamestown, a historic district of Accra, a steady stream of civil servants and dignitaries, yoga students and university lecturers, street performers and newlyweds passed through his doors. Barnor mastered the art of putting his clients at ease: through lively conversations set to the backdrop of popular music, a unique bond was forged between the photographer and his subjects.
Family portrait of Mr Crabbe, Accra, Jamestown, Ever Young Studio, c. 1954
During this period, he trained in press photography for the Daily Graphic. He was thus the first photojournalist to work with the Daily Graphic (the daily newspaper published in Ghana by the London Daily Mirror Group), but he also frequently worked for Drum magazine (an influential anti-apartheid news and fashion magazine, founded in South Africa and distributed internationally). There, he produced numerous portraits of African women.
He also captured significant historical events such as Kwame Nkrumah’s rise to power in Ghana, the country’s independence in 1957, as well as politics and sport. He also captured Muhammad Ali just minutes before his fight against Brian London at Earls Court, and BBC journalist Mike Eghan at Piccadilly Circus.
Muhammad Ali, preparing for his fight against Brian London, London, 1966
In 1959, he travelled to England to further his training as a photographer, working as a technician in laboratories and learning the art of colour photography.
In 1969, he returned to Ghana to set up the country’s first colour laboratory and open a second studio, X23, also in Accra. For some twenty years, he worked as a freelance photographer in Accra, for a number of press agencies, the US Embassy and President Jerry John Rawlings.
Barnor returned to England in 1994, where he struggled to find work until his photographs were exhibited for the first time in 2004 at the Acton Arts Festival.
Since his retrospective exhibition at Autograph ABP in London in 2010, Barnor’s photographs have attracted international attention from curators, collectors, researchers, galleries and museums. Autograph ABP recently published a book entitled “James Barnor: Ever Young” in partnership with the Galerie Clémentine de la Féronnière.
