Paris Noir at the Centre Pompidou in Paris

 

Paris Noir showcases many of the Black artists who came to live in Paris, study in Paris, work in Paris, from all over the world. Paris was especially a refuge for Black American artists who in the 1950s fled Jim Crow and the lack of freedom in the United States to live a free(-er) life in France.

The show includes visual art: paintings, collages, and sculptures, as well as film clips, and texts describing the various periods in time, between the 1950s and 2000.

As per the Centre Pompidou website:

From the creation of the Présence Africaine review to that of Revue noire, “Black Paris” retraces the presence and influence of Black artists in France from the 1950s to 2000. The exhibition celebrates 150 artists coming from Africa, the Americas and the Caribbean, whose works have often never been displayed in France before.

Gerard Sekoto, South Africa: Self-Portrait, 1947

Artists shown hail from Martinique, Guadeloupe, the former French African colonies: Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire..., and surprisingly to me, from South Africa (during Apartheid), Zimbabwe (then known as Southern Rhodesia); as well as Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Haiti...

Cameroon (where I lived for over 12 years) is only represented in later years, perhaps because it was a French Protectorate rather than a colony? Hard to tell. In any case the two artists represented were Manuèla Dikoumé and Pascal Kenfack (sculpture), in the more recent 21st century creations.

Manuèla Dikoumé, Cameroon, 1991

It was interesting to me to see the evolution of the styles. It seemed to me that those who arrived around mid-20th century followed the styles they learned about in European art school. Then, little by little, the later artists come into their own original styles. 

Writers and politicians, as well as publishing houses and magazines, were represented. James Baldwin was one of the best known Black American writers at the time, and he is shown in photos and film clips several times, along with Angela Davis (the "wanted" reel, with her physical description and the area she had last been seen in: Marin County, California), Malcolm X... The well-known, and still existing, publishing house, Présence Africaine (founded by Alioune Diop), features prominently. 

Valérie John:  "Palimpseste, fabrique à mémoires…" 

Faith Ringgold quilt

This was made with beads... quite extraordinary. It's by Clem Lawson: Angoisse sur l'escalator, 1983 

"Re-generation" de Shuck One

Detail of the above

The above photos may have no caption, as I transferred photos from my cellphone to my laptop, and forgot to jot down the names before deleting on my too-full iPhone!

Serge Hélénon: Personnage en tunique, 1974

Further articles (in French)

"Paris noir" au Centre Pompidou : une exposition pour sortir de l'ombre

L'exposition Paris Noir au Centre Pompidou vue par sa commissaire, Alicia Knock : «Un projet pour mettre les institutions au travail»

“Paris noir” Circulations artistiques et luttes anticoloniales 1950 – 2000 au Centre Pompidou, Paris

Au Centre Pompidou, l’exposition « Paris noir » vient panser notre histoire

And there is controversy:

Au Centre Pompidou, l’exposition “Paris noir” invisibilise-t-elle ceux qui l’ont rendue possible ?

In English, there are articles in the Washington Post, and in the Guardian:

Basquiat to Delaney: inside the exhibition honouring 50 years of art in Black Paris

The exhibition Paris Noir, circulations artistiques et luttes anti coloniales, 1950-2000 will be on display until 30 June 2025