Paris Noir at the Pompidou Centre
PARIS NOIR traces Black artists’ influence in France, from the 1950s to 2000, celebrating diverse practices and redefining modernisms through 150 previously unseen works. Until June 30th @CentrePompidou. Visit: https://www.centrepompidou.fr/en/program/calendar/event/VRo249Y
The Pompidou Centre’s final show before closing for five years celebrates 150 Black artists of African heritage. These artists, from various countries, all spent time in Paris. The exhibition, titled Black Paris, features 350 works—many of which have never been shown in France.
For Black artists and intellectuals, postwar Paris offered freedom. Unlike their home countries, where racism and colonisation restricted them, Paris allowed them to study, create, and connect. It became a creative hub.
Curator Alicia Knock led this ambitious project. She spent a decade uncovering gaps in the Pompidou’s collection. Her goal was to recognize overlooked artists who helped shape modern and contemporary art in France. Many were also poets, philosophers, and thinkers.
The exhibition includes major figures like Loïs Mailou Jones, Chéri Samba, Beauford Delaney, Wifredo Lam, and Everlyn Nicodemus. Their works reflect both personal stories and global themes.
Paris welcomed them when other places rejected them. As Jones once said, “The colour of my skin didn’t matter in Paris.” Her experience, and others like hers, shaped this powerful exhibition.
At least 50 works will remain in the Pompidou’s collection. Knock hopes they will become part of its permanent display when the museum reopens in 2030.
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© Copyright Owners Estate of Beauford Delaney Présence Africaine Éditions Adagp, Paris Almen Gibirila Estate of Gerard Sekoto Ming Smith Succession Wifredo Lam Luce Turnier Demas Nwoko / New Culture Foundation Fondation Clément Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC Estate of Ed Clark Georges Coran Estate of Raymond Saunders Clem Lawson Élodie Barthélemy Estate of Harold Cousins Karen Jenkins-Johnson Gallery
