Kerry James Marshall retrospective opens at Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris

The Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris has launched the first major French retrospective dedicated to American contemporary painter Kerry James Marshall. The exhibition, titled ‘Kerry James Marshall – The Histories’, is scheduled to run until January 24, 2027.

The exhibition features 70 works spanning over 40 years of the artist's career, including eight new canvases painted specifically for this event. The collection includes pieces from his early years in the 1980s, such as ‘Invisible Man’, as well as his iconic ‘Souvenirs’ and ‘Vignette’ series, and his cumulative sculpture ‘Wake’.

Marshall's work is noted for its monumental scale and its focus on asserting Black presence within the art historical narrative. His compositions often blend 19th-century French painting styles with elements of Afrofuturism, science fiction, and popular culture to depict scenes of African-American daily life, civil rights struggles, and historical themes.