Daniele Tamagni's Sapeur Photography Celebrated at MET Gala 2025 and Beyond

The MET Gala 2025, themed 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,' spotlights the Sapeur subculture, a movement documented extensively by late Italian photographer Daniele Tamagni (1975–2017). Tamagni's project 'Gentlemen of Bacongo' (2009) captured the SAPE (Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Élégantes) in Brazzaville, blending fashion and political resistance. His work influenced Paul Smith, Solange Knowles, and a Guinness campaign. The Daniele Tamagni Foundation, led by his father Giordano Tamagni, promotes his legacy through exhibitions in 2025: at the Musée Théodore Monod d'Art Africain and Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Dakar (from May 15), and at Galleria Civica del Mart in Trento (until July 6), curated by Gabriele Lorenzoni, Chiara Bardelli Nonino, and Aïda Muluneh. The foundation also awards the Daniele Tamagni Grant for young African photographers, in collaboration with the Market Photo Workshop in Johannesburg, and maintains a public digital archive. Tamagni's images, though not officially in the MET exhibition, are recognized as foundational to the show's narrative. The MET show, inspired by Monica L. Miller's 'Slaves to Fashion,' runs until October 26, 2025, featuring historical Sapeur garments alongside contemporary haute couture.