CORY REYNOLDS | DATE 12/24/2017

Happy Holidays from ARTBOOK | D.A.P.!

Truly one of the most wonderful photographs of all time, “Nuit de Nöel” is reproduced from Malick Sidibé: Mali Twist. Deceptively titled, it was actually made on February 23, 1963, the eve of Ramadan. “The two teenagers are brother and sister,” Brigitte Ollier writes. “Earlier on, the barefoot young girl had other dancing partners. A tuneful initiation, mutual affection, radiant elegance… A series from a peaceful night. Motionless couples facing the lens, men or women in solo, young girls dressed to the nines with their handbags, couples dancing in each others’ arms, a group carefully posed in front of the photographer… The sparks of a festive flame kept burning by Sidibé’s flash.”