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

The Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris has launched “The Histories,” the first French retrospective dedicated to American artist Kerry James Marshall. The exhibition, which runs through January 24, 2027, features more than 70 paintings spanning over four decades of the artist’s career.

Marshall’s monumental figurative works focus on Black life, aiming to challenge the historical exclusion of Black communities within the art historical canon. His work often references traditional art historical archetypes, inserting Black figures into nuanced scenarios where they were previously absent. The exhibition also includes counterfactual portraits of historical figures lacking visual records, such as abolitionist David Walker and a wedding portrait of Harriet Tubman, intended to depict their “full humanity.”

The exhibition follows presentations at the Royal Academy of Arts in London and Kunsthaus Zürich. It draws from various public and private collections, including the Pinault collection and Fondation Louis Vuitton. The Parisian display is organized into 12 sections and utilizes a single path through the space, a departure from the room enfilade layout used in the London presentation.