Los Angeles: New Getty Monograph On Harlem Trailblazer And Black Photography Icon Anthony Barboza

August 9, 2022

Anthony Barboza, b. 1944, is a celebrated artist, writer, and photographer.

A member of the Kamoinge Workshop of photographers in Harlem, New York, Barboza is largely self-taught and has an inimitable, highly intuitive vision that he refers to as “eye dreaming,” or “a state of mind that’s almost like meditation.”

Photographing in the studio and on the streets for more than fifty years, his images grab the viewer’s attention: the gleam in the eye of an artist he photographed for his series Black Borders; the attitude radiating from a picture accompanying a celebrity profile in the New York Times Magazine or a fashion spread in Essence.

Though Barboza’s work has appeared in magazines and museums for decades, no publication until now has captured the range and breadth of his career  

Eye Dreaming: Photographs by Anthony Barboza follows Barboza’s prolific career from his youth in New Bedford, Massachusetts, to his formative years in New York in the 1960s, to the present day.

An introduction by renowned author and critic Hilton Als underscores Barboza’s importance and impact.

An essay by curator Aaron Bryant contextualizes Barboza’s life and career as they map against major civil rights events in the United States.

In an intimate interview between the artist and curator Mazie M. Harris, Barboza offers astute, humorous, and intimate musings on his long career, foundational influences, and artistic legacy.

This monograph, the first on the artist, will appeal to aficionados of photography and Black art and culture.  

Anthony Barboza is an artist, historian, and writer. He has been making photographs since 1963.  

Aaron Bryant is curator of photography and visual culture at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History & Culture.  

Mazie M. Harris is assistant curator in the Department of Photographs at the J. Paul Getty Museum. Her research focuses on American photography.

She is the author of Paper Promises: Early American Photography (J. Paul Getty Museum, 2018).  

Advance Praise for Eye Dreaming:  

“In this sensational collection, photographer Barboza’s body of work is celebrated in all its glory . . . It’s a gorgeous addition to the shelf of any art book collector.”—Publishers Weekly  

“Sometimes words just didn’t cut it—we needed pictures. That’s where Barboza came in. Whether they be musicians, painters, poets or orators, very few have captured the essence of Blackness as Barboza has.”—Ishmael Reed, novelist and playwright  

“Anthony Barboza produces photographs with a curious eye, creating unique images of surreal and quiet moments that capture the essence of his subjects. You feel Barboza’s images taking us to a higher place to experience his creativity through his camera lens.”—Sheila Pree Bright, photographer, artist, and author.

Publication Information:  

Eye Dreaming: Photographs by Anthony Barboza with Anthony Barboza, Mazie M. Harris, and Aaron Bryant by the J. Paul Getty Museum. The book is 184 pages, 9¾ x 12 inches, with 216 color illustrations  with a Hardcover bind (ISBN 978-1-60606-783-3), cost of US $40 / £30, published on the 25th, of October 2022  

Getty Publications  

Getty Publications produces award-winning titles that result from or complement the work of the J. Paul Getty Museum, Getty Conservation Institute, and Getty Research Institute.

This wide variety of books covers the fields of art, photography, archaeology, architecture, conservation, and the humanities for both the general public and specialists.

Publications include illustrated works on artists and art history, exhibition catalogues, works on cultural history, research on the conservation of materials and archaeological sites, scholarly monographs, critical editions of translated works, comprehensive studies of Getty’s collections, and educational books on art to interest children of all ages.  


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Harlem World Magazine, 2521 1/2 west 42nd street, Los Angeles, CA, 90008, https://www.harlemworldmagazine.com. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact
We're your source for local coverage, we count on your support. SPONSOR US!
Your support is crucial in maintaining a healthy democracy and quality journalism. With your contribution, we can continue to provide engaging news and free access to all.
accepted credit cards

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Articles