Is Beyonce’s “African Queen” Fashion Shoot Art? (PHOTOS)

Since it’s release last week, the photographs of Beyonce by photographer Mark Pillai  in the March issue of L’Officiel have been the center of discussion in many circles around the fashion and art history blogospheres.  

The photographs came at an auspsicious time: during American Black History Month, during London and Milan Fashion week and during the world tour of “Fela!”, the musical based loosely on the life of Nigerian musician and activist Fela Kuti, whom L’officiel says was an inspiration behind the shoot. The photographs were also published in concert with, and in anticipation of, the French magazine’s 90th Anniversary.

The question hovering in the air and in cyberspace  is why were the photographs published and are the photographs art? Folks also wondered if, as American’s who are sensitive of the past, whether or not they were judging the singer and actress and the magazine harshly. They wondered where the images stood in regards to art history and its portrayal and representation of the black body against the current drought or absence of black models on the runways and in high fashion editorial pages. They wondered about how Africa and black people, as a whole, are seen by Europeans; because for the last two years,  images of models painted black were explicitly published by Europeans.  They also  wondered if they were taking these images too seriously. 

Beyonce by photographer Mark Pillai, Beyonce and Tina Knowles.