Eye Dreaming: Photographs by Anthony Barboza

Anthony Barboza is an incredible photographer. His subjects all seem so at ease, so comfortable. It's quite impressive.He is best known for his Black Borders portrait series of the 1970s, which captured prominent Black musicians, writers, thinkers, and celebrities, such as James Baldwin, Toukie Smith, Amiri Baraka, Ntozake Shange, Gordon Parks, and many more.His commercial work has also been widely seen, although as is usually the case with advertisements, movie posters, album and magazine covers: you probably didn't know he was the photographer. For example, he shot the movie poster for Spike Lee’s iconic, Do The Right Thing as well as the album cover for Blondie’s Rapture. He’s also shot multiple covers for the New York Times Magazine, Essence and more.His portraits include models and performers such as Grace Jones, Aretha Franklin, Pat Evans—whose striking portrait graces the cover—Isaac Hayes, Jamaica Kincaid, Questlove, Miles Davis, and Halle Berry.Other photographs include a series of Black life in Africa in the 1970s, portraits of jazz musicians in New York in the 1980s and Harlem street scenes.Barboza is a master. With hundreds of images, this book is an incredible tribute to a photographer that deserves to be better-known.

This book is just a sliver of the expansive body of work by photographer Anthony Barboza. Even so, it is a pleasure and a privilege to take in, through a generous number of photographic plates, the breathtaking culture, steadfast triumph and jubilant expression of the African American experience. Barboza's works are informative and enriching, I hope readers/viewers will explore this and other related publications.

When it comes to photography, Anthony Barboza is a renown photographer for his work on his photography artwork focusing on the African diaspora, photographs of his good friend and legendary jazz musician Miles Davis and his work being featured in advertisements, magazines, album covers and more.He’s had long-running photo exhibitions since 1966 and his book “Eye Dreaming: Photographs by Anthony Barboza” by Anthony Barboza, Aaron Bryant, and Mazie M. Harris, with an introduction by Hilton Als, will be released on October 25th. Courtesy of Getty Publications.Barboza worked at a young age under legendary photographer Hugh Bell and learned a lot from photographer Adger Cowans, which proved instrumental in his photography career as he networked with Black artists (as part of the Kamoinge Workshop, a collective of Black photographers who are known for their powerful images of Black life in the mid-20th century) who were debating about Black voices and aesthetic.While in Florida, Barboza documented the racial and economic injustice facing Black families in the South.He forged his own path with his photography, especially with the release of his first photography book “Black Borders” which was self published in 1980 and becoming one of America’s successful African American photographers.With the release of Getty Publications’ “Eye Dreaming: Photographs by Anthony Barboza”, the book is a celebration of the photographer’s photo oeuvre.Featuring an introduction by New York Magazine writer and theater critic, Hilton Als; an essay by Smithsonian curator Aaron Bryant and an in-depth conversation between Barboza and Assistant Curator in the Department of Photographs at the J. Paul Getty Museum, Mazie M. Harris.One of the things that attracted me to the work of the Kamoinge Collective, and through that discovering Barboza’s work is how he was able to photograph poverty which he saw with Blacks in America.But one thing that what many people may not be aware of is how Barboza’s photography is so varied. With “Eye Dreaming: Photographs by Anthony Barboza”, you can see his photos shot in America, photos shot in Africa and the Middle East, fashion, entertainment and also showcasing his advertisement work, album covers, magazine covers, art publications, movie posters and more.It’s important to note that the photos featured is just a small representation from Barboza’s photography oeuvre.If anything, the book celebrates Barboza’s work but not giving it all away. No photographer showcases their complete work in one book and for Barboza’s work which spans many decades, it would be difficult. And thank goodness there have been numerous Barboza exhibits that have taken place in the US and abroad. And this leaves more opportunities for more Barboza books in the future and I hope for more, because this book is a long time coming.“Eye Dreaming: Photographs by Anthony Barboza” by Anthony Barboza, Aaron Bryant, and Mazie M. Harris is a wonderful celebration of Barboza’s work. Highly recommended!

This book is breathtakingly comprehensive and utterly magnificent. I'd say it's a "coffee table book," but it's next to my bed right now, because I can't seem to stop reading it.Every page is a surprise and reflects a masterpiece... a body of work, and an inspired life.The photos in this book were curated with precision, and organized to astonish the reader with their originality... their remarkable creativity.They convey a sense of power and magnificence that one rarely sees in photos. They go beyond the two-dimensional space of a flat image, and take the viewer into a fresh, diverse, and intriguing realm.For me, the stories in this book are at least as important as the photos. Learning more about Mr. Barboza, I've gained even more respect for him as an individual as well as one of the most important visual influences of our time.I especially loved the interview - the "conversation" piece - with the artist, in the early pages of the book. It's both shocking and inspiring. It reveals the challenges he's faced as a Black man, overcoming myriad challenges, and the faith and vision that have kept him going, following his unique dream.The ingenuity he used to navigate his years in the military, and the compelling way he talks about that - and other experiences as someone too often judged, solely for his color - show courage and a tremendous commitment to his dreams, despite everything.He conveys the brutality of racism in terms that shout with clarity in their simplicity and understated phrases.Anthony Barboza is an artist - a creator and innovator - on many levels.Yes, these photos are important. They're among the most impactful works I've ever seen, and more so for how this book was curated and compiled.But for me, a couple of lines from his conversation with Mazie Harris stand out: "Your whole life, you turn the page and you're surprised. You turn another page and another surprise."Of course, he's talking about his life.That's something I'll ponder and keep reflecting on. It's important.However, those lines are also an apt description of the experience of reading this book... "you turn the page and you're surprised," over and over again.Profound gratitude to Anthony Barboza for sharing his work, his life, and his insights in this book. And thanks to the J. Paul Getty Museum for publishing this book so we can benefit from it, and celebrate that such a brilliant artist is among us.

I’m not good at writing these super comprehensive reviews about this style of books like some of the other reviewers but I really really enjoyed this one. It’s absolutely stunning both visually as well as the text. We have it on a side table in the living room and I love going through it regularly.