The Centre Pompidou’s major exhibition, Paris Noir: Artistic Circulations and Anti-Colonial Resistance, 1950–2000, offers a timely and necessary reflection on the overlooked contributions of Black artists in France’s cultural capital during the second half of the 20th century.

Bringing together more than 300 works by 150 artists from Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas, the exhibition explores the intersection of art, identity, and anti-colonial resistance. It reveals how Paris functioned simultaneously as a space of refuge and tension for Black artists navigating post-colonial realities.

Curated by Alicia Knock and her team, the exhibition is organised thematically, with works ranging from surrealism and abstraction to street art and photography. Highlights include paintings by Wifredo Lam, Beauford Delaney, and Demas Nwoko — figures whose lives and practices embodied the complex cultural exchanges that took place in the city.

Paris Noir does not shy away from contradictions: it acknowledges that, while Paris offered visibility and opportunity, it also perpetuated marginalisation and racial inequality. This duality is presented not as an aside, but as an integral part of the narrative.

As part of the show’s long-term impact, the Centre Pompidou has committed to acquiring works from the exhibition for its permanent collection — a significant move towards creating a more inclusive representation of modern art history.

Open until 30 June 2025, Paris Noir invites viewers to reconsider Paris as a dynamic site of Black cultural resistance and reinvention. It is not only an art exhibition, but a reclamation of memory and space within one of Europe’s most influential museums.

Sources:

• ArtReview – Paris Noir at the Centre Pompidou

• Centre Pompidou – Exhibition Page

• The Guardian – Basquiat to Delaney: Inside the Exhibition Honouring 50 Years of Art in Black Paris

• El País – Cuando París era negro: El Pompidou celebra el arte africano