Black artist, photographer at New Bedford Art Museum

• The New Bedford Art Museum will host a retrospective exhibition for photographer Anthony Barboza beginning Sept. 11.
• Born in New Bedford, the exhibit marks a homecoming for the artist, who’s of Cape Verdean American descent.
• Barboza’s work spans half a century and focuses on Black life and world communities of shade.
• The assortment consists of intimate portraits of celebrities like Maya Angelou, Miles Davis, and Jean-Michel Basquiat.

NEW BEDFORD — The New Bedford Art Museum is inviting into its gallery the landmark exhibition “I Return With a Feeling of Us: The Photography of Anthony Barboza” on Sept. 11.

For his evocative lens on Black life and global communities of color, this is the first retrospective in the city where his journey began. Not only does the exhibit feature half a century of world-class photography by artist Barboza, but will witness the homecoming of one of their own.

Born in New Bedford in 1944, Barboza grew up as the eldest of eight sons in a Cape Verdean American family. The family’s Cape Verdean roots and New Bedford’s diverse culture were the first canvases on which a young Barboza learned the value of community, compassion and narrative which led to his main focus in his art.

Making room: New Bedford Art Museum is doubling its space. Check out its plans for second floor

A Journey from New Bedford to New York

“He always points his camera at the Black community, chronicling stories from Harlem to Havana, Lagos to Los Angeles, and always with a sense of communion,” said Suzanne de Vegh, executive director at the New Bedford Art Museum, adding that Barboza’s approach is “deeply compassionate.”

At 19, Barboza left New Bedford for New York City, carving his path in a world that was just as turbulent as it was vibrant. There, Barboza found mentors in pioneering Black photographers and joined a collective of Black artists, was a nourishing community that became both a refuge and a creative crucible.

‘You guys are really lucky to have him’: Downtown New Bedford beat cop meeting community

It wasn’t long before he began to leave his mark, first in the commercial photography world and soon in the rarified air of celebrity portraiture, editorial fashion and vital social documentary.

From images of rural fishermen and streetwise teens, to iconic, intimate portraits of celebrities and fellow artists, de Vegh said the exhibit features Barboza’s portfolio of Black life rarely seen through such a tender and honest lens.

Why people should experience this exhibit

“He has this special ability to put someone at ease. Through that, he gets past all the ways we guard ourselves. There’s intimacy and vulnerability,” said de Vegh. “You feel as though you’re meeting a real person, not just the polished image a publicist wants you to see.”

Viewers of Barboza’s work are sometimes struck by a way of revelation, in response to de Vegh, who mentioned pictures characteristic stars of jazz, literature, and the humanities such Maya Angelou, Miles Davis, Jean-Michel Basquiat, captured not simply as topics, however as folks, with depth and emotion etched into each print.

“Barboza’s creative process, which sometimes includes his own painted or drawn backdrops, is deeply personal and immersive, turning every shoot into a communion with another human in a truly meaningful way,” de Vegh mentioned.

To deliver Barboza’s retrospective residence to New Bedford is greater than an act of recognition, de Vegh mentioned it’s an act of celebration, reflection and belonging.

“These portraits are mesmerizing,” de Vegh mentioned. “People are going to recognize faces. But more than that, they’ll recognize themselves… their histories, dreams, and triumphs.”

For the native Cape Verdean, African American and immigrant communities, de Vegh mentioned, Barboza’s world success is a robust supply of delight.

“His photographs, stunning in their composition and emotional resonance, serve as both personal memoir and a collective archive,” she added.

De Vegh hopes that Barboza’s homecoming exhibition will likely be a vivid reminder of how one artist’s journey outward has all the time been with coronary heart for his hometown.

Standard-Times employees author Seth Chitwood might be reached at schitwood@s-t.com. Find out extra about him at sethchitwood.com. Support native journalism by buying a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times at this time.