Runs June 2 through Aug. 11, Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sol Mednick Gallery, Terra Hall, 211 S. Broad St., free, 215-717-6300

At 85, Hector Acebes has only recently emerged as an artist. The stunning black-and-white portraits he took in Africa between 1948 and 1953 are finally beginning to gain their long-deserved recognition.

The new exhibit at the Sol Mednick Gallery showcases the Colombian photographer's uncanny ability to capture the beautiful spirit of the African people he encountered during his three trips to countries such as Mali, Senegal, Zanzibar and Kenya.

Acebes' snapshots of African women evoke the ancient tribal magnificence that Joseph Conrad's novella, Heart of Darkness, captured so memorably more than a century ago: "She was savage and superb, wild eyed and magnificent."

Acebes' graceful sense of truthfulness shines through the photographs and creates an emotional bond among the viewer, the photographer and the subject.