Anne Lafont on Black Representation in French Art and Decolonial Debates
In August, Anne Lafont, a French art historian, traveled to São Paulo at the invitation of MAC USP, with support from the Terra Foundation, to conduct a postgraduate course. During her visit, she explored her book 'Uma africana no Louvre' and the exhibition 'Le modèle noir de Géricault à Matisse' at the Louvre, which drew over 400,000 attendees and transformed how French museums engage with issues concerning the Black community. Lafont highlighted the evolving portrayal of Black women in 19th-century French art and drew parallels between French colonial imagery and European representations of enslaved individuals in Brazil. She linked modern decolonial discussions to civil rights movements, underscored the emergence of critical race theory, and advocated for dialogue as essential for societal change, celebrating the diversity of Black perspectives.
Key facts
- Anne Lafont visited São Paulo in August to teach a postgraduate course at MAC USP, sponsored by the Terra Foundation.
- Her book 'Uma africana no Louvre' and the exhibition 'Le modèle noir de Géricault à Matisse' at the Louvre attracted over 400,000 visitors.
- The exhibition transformed how French museums work on issues related to Black communities in French society.
- Historians in France were initially reluctant toward post-colonial approaches, but younger generations are more interested.
- In the 19th century, Black women became more present in French art as Black communities settled in metropolitan France.
- Artists like Debret and Rugendas provided direct access to the cruelty of Brazilian slavery through lithography and engraving.
- Lafont connected contemporary decolonial debates to civil rights movements, noting researchers are not detached from social movements.
- She highlighted the risk of capitalism appropriating decolonial messages in art, but emphasized the plurality of Black thought.
Entities
Artists
- Anne Lafont
- Géricault
- Matisse
- Debret
- Rugendas
- James Baldwin
- Frantz Fanon
- Achille M’bembe
- Kader Attia
Institutions
- MAC USP
- Terra Foundation
- Louvre
- École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
- The New York Times
Locations
- São Paulo
- Brazil
- France
- Paris
- Europe
- United States