Exhibition: Kerry James Marshall — a storytelling painter to discover at the Paris Museum of Modern Art

The American artist Kerry James Marshall is in the spotlight at the Museum of Modern Art: his exhibition "The Histories" examines the place of African Americans in U.S. history. A major exhibition not to be missed, running from September 18, 2026 to January 24, 2027.

The artist Kerry James Marshall stands among the most influential painters of his era: an American painter who reframes art history and its depictions by spotlighting the absence of Black figures in the discipline. In his monumental canvases, the artist captures and preserves Black history and culture in the United States.

The Musée d'Art moderne de Paris shines the spotlight on this indispensable contemporary artist through a retrospective running from September 18, 2026 to January 24, 2027. The exhibition The Histories brings together 70 works, including paintings, prints, drawings and sculptures. On this occasion, Kerry James Marshall has also produced eight new paintings.

An Alabama-born African American artist, Kerry James Marshall has built his universe in opposition to the standards and orthodoxies of art history. He reinterprets the codes of the past to create new archetypes, underscoring the underrepresentation and gatekeeping that have long defined the institutions of the art world.

In his paintings, Kerry James Marshall depicts the everyday lives of Black people. He lends a grand, almost monumental scale to these scenes by tapping into references from the past: some works appear directly inspired by the great masters of art, such as Manet. With his monumental compositions, his vibrant colors, and canvases that are highly detailed and densely packed, Kerry James Marshall has forged his own visual identity and an unmistakable, recognizable universe.

Beyond its aesthetics, Kerry James Marshall's work stands out for its themes. The artist tells the esclavag, the transport of Africans captured to the Americas, the mobilizations and movements for the droits civiques, then Afro-futurism and science fiction...

The exhibition journey is long, immersive, and full of surprises. Kerry James Marshall unveils monumental, vibrant, and meticulously detailed paintings. Each work tells a story: readers are encouraged to take the time to read the accompanying texts in order to grasp the historical and social context behind the paintings. Some canvases can be unsettling in their subject matter or execution, while others feel playful, joyful, or poignant. The themes chosen can be hard, violent, and not suitable for the youngest visitors.

Through his work, the artist depicts an entire culture and a relatively recent history that nonetheless feels distant from us. Kerry James Marshall is a painter of bold contrasts, endlessly surprising.

If you haven't yet heard of this important artist, take the opportunity of this exhibition at the musée d'Art moderne to come and discover his work.

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