Kerry James Marshall's "The Histories" Opens at Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris
Kerry James Marshall's exhibition titled "The Histories" is set to debut in September at the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris, showcasing approximately seventy pieces, among which are eight new paintings. This exhibition encapsulates Marshall’s four-decade journey into the theme of representation within American art. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1955, he relocated to Los Angeles at the age of eight, where he witnessed segregation and the evolving cultural landscape of Black America. His artwork captures daily life, using black figures to redefine blackness as both color and form. Key pieces include "Many Mansions" (1994) and "Our Town." Marshall focuses on celebrating beauty and joy in Black existence, contrasting with themes of violence. The exhibition coincides with Donald Trump's presidency, underscoring America's intricate history and the possibility for healing.
Key facts
- "The Histories" opens in September at the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris.
- The exhibition brings together some seventy works, including eight new paintings.
- Kerry James Marshall was born in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1955.
- His family moved to Los Angeles when he was eight.
- Marshall renders his figures almost entirely in black, transforming blackness into colour, volume, light and form.
- "Many Mansions" (1994) reimagines a housing project as an immaculate garden.
- "Our Town" includes yellow ribbons wrapped around trees, suggesting the absence of someone serving overseas.
- The exhibition arrives in Paris amid the political atmosphere of Donald Trump's movement.
Entities
Artists
- Kerry James Marshall
- Jason Bell
- Kerry McFate
- Jack Hems
- M. Sean Pathasema
- Donald Trump
- Mark Godfrey
- Hans Holbein the Younger
- Jan van Eyck
- Raphael
- Giotto
- Géricault
- Arthur Jafa
- Jon Gnagy
- James Watrous
- Charles White
- Sam Clayberger
- Arnold Mesches
- Kurt Schwitters
- Joseph Cornell
- Robert Rauschenberg
- Antoni Tàpies
- Diego Rivera
- Pablo Picasso
- Kazimir Malevich
- Ad Reinhardt
- Ralph Ellison
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Cheryl Lynn Bruce
- John Singleton Copley
- Giorgione
- Édouard Manet
- Georges Seurat
- Piet Mondrian
- Malcolm X
- Fred Hampton
- Akua Njeri
- Ellsworth Ausby
- Winslow Homer
- Barnett Newman
- Marcus Garvey
- Barack Obama
- Walt Disney
- Velázquez
- Théodore Géricault
- Jackson Pollock
- Frank Stella
- Andy Warhol
- Gustave Courbet
- Kasimir Malevitch
- Paul Gauguin
- Jean-Michel Basquiat
- Charles Baudelaire
- H. G. Wells
- Ray Bradbury
- Henri Rousseau
- Liz Lefkofsky
- Eric Lefkofsky
- Susan Manilow
- Kara Walker
Institutions
- Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris
- Whitewall
- David Zwirner
- Jack Shainman Gallery
- Glenstone Museum
- David and Alfred Smart Museum of Art
- The University of Chicago
- National Gallery of Art
- Corcoran Gallery of Art
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art
- Denver Art Museum
- Walker Art Center
- Birmingham Museum of Art
- Royal Academy of Arts
- Tate Modern
- National Gallery
- Otis Art Institute
- Studio Museum in Harlem
- Renaissance Society
- Documenta
- Gwangju Biennale
- Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
- Venice Biennale
- Harvard Art Museums
- Committee of the Arts and Humanities
- Unia
- Black Panther Party
- Cunard
- Beaux Arts Magazine
- Fogg Museum
- Kunsthaus Zürich
- Otis Arts Institute
- Connaissance des Arts
- Biennale de Venise
Locations
- Paris
- France
- Birmingham
- Alabama
- United States
- Los Angeles
- California
- New York
- London
- United Kingdom
- Washington
- Chicago
- Minneapolis
- Illinois
- Harlem
- Kassel
- Germany
- Gwangju
- South Korea
- Venice
- Italy
- Bruges
- Belgium
- Cambridge
- Massachusetts
- West Garfield Park
- Havana
- Cuba
- Zürich
- Switzerland
- Zurich
- North America
- Europe
- Americas