Art

Paris Noir at Pompidou: Black Artistic Legacies Reclaimed

The Centre Pompidou’s Paris Noir exhibition shines a light on overlooked Black artists in postwar Paris, challenging narratives of art history and colonial legacies.

Por: Angela Leon Cervera April 29, 2025

In an unprecedented move, the Centre Pompidou presents Paris Noir: Artistic circulations and anti-colonial resistance 1950–2000, a landmark exhibition tracing the overlooked contributions of Black artists who found creative refuge—and challenges—in postwar Paris. Running in 2025, the show reclaims histories long absent from French institutional narratives.

A centerpiece of the exhibition is Georges Coran’s monumental Délire et paix (1954), an ink-on-cotton composition that radiates vibrancy and political resonance. On view publicly for the first time in 36 years, the painting captures the lush, charged interplay between “Delirium” and “Peace”—a fitting metaphor for the diasporic experience in France.

How Does Paris Noir Reframe the Story of Parisian Art?

Paris Noir dismantles the myth of Paris as a simple “haven” for Black creatives. While artists like Ed Clark, Beauford Delaney, Mary Lovelace O’Neal, and Ming Smith found opportunities for growth, the exhibition underscores the complexity of their experiences—including the “first shock” of encountering racism.

From the abstraction of Clark’s Untitled (Vétheuil) (1967) to Lovelace O’Neal’s emotionally charged Purple Rain (ca. 1990), these works chart both aesthetic breakthroughs and cultural reckonings. Meanwhile, Smith’s double-exposure portraits bridge Harlem and Paris, linking Black identity across continents.

The exhibition draws attention to nodes like Présence Africaine magazine and the Black intelligentsia of the 1990s, connecting artists, writers, and thinkers across generations.

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What Role Does Valérie John’s Installation Play?

Artist Valérie John confronts the painful mythologies surrounding Paris with her vast multimedia installation, Secret(s)… Rêves de Pays… Fabrique à Mémoire(s)… Palimpseste… (1998–2025).

Using indigo-drenched walls and suspended objects, John evokes transatlantic memory, the trauma of enslavement, and the diasporic quest for belonging.

Her “palimpsest” altar intertwines references to Césaire, Glissant, and Senghor, creating a space for healing and collective memory—a powerful counter-narrative to the traditional grandeur associated with the “City of Light.”

How Does Paris Noir Challenge French Institutional Norms?

Curated by Alicia Knock and a team of cocurators, the exhibition defies France’s traditional “colorblind” ideals, confronting the country’s resistance to acknowledging race and postcolonial realities. Knock emphasizes that the show is “more than an exhibition”—it aims to trigger institutional change.

Facing hurdles over a decade-long development, the project leaned on American foundations like the Ford Foundation and Terra Foundation for crucial support. The Pompidou has already acquired 40 works from the show into its permanent collection, a significant step toward addressing historical blind spots.

Paris Noir at the Centre Pompidou

When is the Paris Noir exhibition taking place? Throughout 2025, dates subject to Pompidou’s programming.
Which artists are featured? Georges Coran, Ed Clark, Beauford Delaney, Mary Lovelace O’Neal, Ming Smith, Valérie John, and others.
What major works are highlighted? Délire et paix by Georges Coran, Purple Rain by Mary Lovelace O’Neal, Valérie John’s Palimpseste installation.
What larger issues does the exhibition address? Postcolonial identity, Black artistic visibility, the myth of Parisian "colorblindness," and the need for structural change.
Will works from the exhibition join the Pompidou collection?
Yes, including pieces by Coran, Roland Dorcély, Diagne Chanel, Guido Llinás, and Mildred Thompson.

Paris Noir is not just an exhibition—it is an act of recovery, memory, and institutional challenge. By centering Black artists and diasporic experiences, the Centre Pompidou invites audiences to rethink Paris’s role in global art history—not as a monolith, but as an archipelago of lived realities and creative resistance.