Kerry James Marshall exhibition debuts at Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris

American painter Kerry James Marshall is presenting his first major retrospective in France, titled “The Histories,” at the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris. The exhibition, which runs through January 24, 2027, features 70 monumental works spanning more than 40 years of the artist's career.

Marshall’s work centers on Black figures, utilizing the color black not merely as an identity marker but as a complex rhetorical tool. His paintings depict scenes of everyday American life—including barbershops, living rooms, and suburban streets—to explore themes of social possibility, racial history, and the complexities of Black identity. The collection aims to challenge traditional art history by asserting the presence and importance of Black subjects in the narrative of American painting.