James Barnor Prints, Photographs and Shows

James Barnor smiling, seated in a blue and cream patterned robe and a striped cap against a dark background — James Barnor, 2019. Photo: CPFGalerie, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Framed by CoolCuration; this framed version is also CC BY-SA 4.0.

Last updated: 2 November 2026

James Barnor, born in Accra in 1929, is the Ghanaian photographer who ran a portrait studio in Accra in the 1950s, then photographed black London in the 1960s. Tate holds 21 of his works. James Barnor prints of his 1950s studio portraits are on sale new from the Serpentine for £120, and his gallery in Paris has a show on until 21 November 2026.

Our take on James Barnor as an artist

Barnor's pictures cover two cities at a turning point. In Accra he made portraits at his Ever Young studio in the years around Ghana's independence in 1957. In London, from 1959, he photographed fashion and black Londoners for Drum magazine.

The James Barnor print on our editions page comes from the first half of that story. It is a portrait of a young man, J Peter Dodoo Jnr., holding a seated yoga twist on the bare studio floor, made around 1955. Tate holds a darkroom print of the same photograph. The Serpentine sells a modern print of it to fund its free shows.

He is in his late nineties and his archive is still being shown for the first time, which is what makes him worth following now.

James Barnor: the essentials

Born in Accra, Ghana, in 1929, according to the V&A and Tate.
Got his first camera, a Kodak Baby Brownie, at 17 and apprenticed at his cousin's studio before opening his own, Ever Young, in the Jamestown district of Accra (V&A).
Was the first staff photographer of Ghana's Daily Graphic newspaper (V&A).
Moved to London in 1959, studied photography at Medway College of Art in Kent and photographed for Drum, the South African magazine (Serpentine).
Went back to Ghana around 1970 to set up the country's first colour processing lab, then returned to London in 1994 (V&A and Serpentine).
Represented by Galerie Clémentine de la Féronnière in Paris, which catalogued his archive with him between 2017 and 2021. Tate holds 21 of his works.

James Barnor exhibitions: now on and recent

Now on: Lucky Jim: James Barnor, Galerie Clémentine de la Féronnière, Paris, 24 September to 21 November 2026. Self-portraits and unseen prints from his archive.
Now on: Ibrahim Mahama: Le Temps des récoltes, Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Paris, 22 October 2026 to 28 February 2027. Barnor is one of ten associated artists, with vintage prints and a 2024 collaboration with Mahama, according to the press release.
James Barnor: Accra/London, A Retrospective, Serpentine North Gallery, London, 2021. His last big UK show.

Where to buy James Barnor prints

The James Barnor print we list is J Peter Dodoo Jnr., yoga student of "Mr Strong", Ever Young Studio, Accra, c.1955, from the Serpentine shop. It is an inkjet print on Hahnemühle paper in an edition of 150 plus 50 artist's proofs, sold unframed for £120. UK delivery is £20, so it comes to £140 delivered.

It is a modern print of a 1950s photograph, not a vintage darkroom print. Vintage and editioned silver prints do come up at auction, mainly in Sotheby's African art sales in London, at estimates in the thousands.

The monograph James Barnor: Ever Young from Autograph was out of stock when we checked.

James Barnor FAQs

Who is James Barnor?

A Ghanaian photographer, born in Accra in 1929, who ran the Ever Young portrait studio in Accra and later photographed fashion and black Londoners in the 1960s for Drum magazine.

Where can I see James Barnor's work in the UK?

Tate holds 21 of his works and the V&A holds others, but we found no UK show on right now. His current shows are in Paris, at his gallery until 21 November 2026 and at the Fondation Cartier until 28 February 2027.

How much is a James Barnor print?

The Serpentine sells a modern print of his c.1955 yoga portrait for £120, plus £20 UK delivery. Editioned silver prints at auction carry estimates in the thousands. This isn't investment advice.

Is the Serpentine James Barnor print a vintage print?

No. It is a new inkjet print on Hahnemühle paper, in an edition of 150 plus 50 artist's proofs. Tate's print of the same photograph is a gelatin silver print made in a darkroom.

James Barnor