The Centre Pompidou has launched an exhibition titled Black Paris, celebrating the rich legacy of over 150 Black artists whose work has shaped the city’s cultural and artistic identity for decades.
Running from March 19 to June 30, 2025, Black Paris brings together more than 300 works from artists of African descent who lived, worked, or exhibited in the French capital. The show explores their vital yet long-overlooked contributions to Paris’s modern art scene and the broader cultural history of France. It also confronts colonial legacies and narratives that historically excluded these voices from the spotlight, offering a compelling reexamination of postwar art through the lens of the African diaspora.
Arranged thematically, the exhibition delves into core issues such as exile, resistance, memory, and identity. It includes painting, photography, sculpture, video, and archival material, revealing how Black artists engaged with the politics of their time while also experimenting with form, symbolism, and cross-cultural references. For many of these artists, Paris was both a sanctuary and a stage—an environment where they could work more freely while contributing to the city’s evolving artistic landscape.
Five Artists to Watch at Black Paris
Loïs Mailou Jones
Arriving in Paris in 1937, this African American painter thrived in an environment that welcomed her talent. Her work seamlessly blends African motifs with Western techniques, embodying transatlantic dialogues of culture and creativity.
Chéri Samba
A Congolese artist known for his vivid and satirical style, Samba uses text-rich compositions to tackle themes like inequality, urban life, and globalization. His work reflects a unique voice within the contemporary African art movement.
Beauford Delaney
A central figure in the African American expatriate community, Delaney embraced abstraction and expressionism after moving to Paris. His luminous use of color and light captures psychological depth and emotional resonance.
Wifredo Lam
The Cuban artist’s hybrid figures and surrealist influences explore Afro-Cuban spirituality and postcolonial identity. Lam’s pieces act as cultural bridges between African heritage and European modernism.
Everlyn Nicodemus
Originally from Tanzania and now based in Edinburgh, Nicodemus addresses themes of trauma, gender, and cultural displacement. Her textured mixed-media work invites viewers into layered stories of survival and identity.
A Defining Cultural Moment
Black Paris is more than an exhibition—it’s a vital act of recognition. For decades, the influence of Black artists on France’s cultural fabric was largely marginalized in mainstream institutions. With this show, the Centre Pompidou seeks not only to correct historical oversights but also to provide a space for reflection on the enduring impact of Black creativity.
The exhibition opens a dialogue about who gets to define art history, how stories are told, and which voices are elevated. As visitors move through the galleries, they are invited to engage with the complex interplay between race, geography, politics, and expression.
Whether experienced by longtime followers of contemporary art or those new to the subject, Black Paris offers an urgent and enlightening journey. It’s an invitation to rethink the artistic legacy of one of the world’s most iconic cities—through the eyes and visions of those who helped shape it.
