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Yesterday, Tom and I went to the Centre Pompidou to see the Multiple Modernities 1905-1970 exposition. We thought that early on Christmas Day would be a good time to go to avoid crowds and we were right! There was only a short wait to enter the museum and check coats, and we were the only people who thought to use the automatic dispenser to purchase our tickets. We were happily strolling through the exhibit within 15 minutes of entering the building.
I was especially interested in seeing this exposition because it includes a painting by Beauford Delaney. It is the only Delaney painting that the museum holds. Because it is usually kept in reserve, I wanted to be sure to see it hanging in a major exposition. I got my wish!
Beauford Delaney
(1957) Oil on canvas
© Discover Paris!
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
This work hangs in Traverse G, the corridor between Rooms 31 and 34.
I was also pleased to discover that there are many other works displayed in this exposition that are by black artists or inspired by the black experience.
Room 36 is devoted to "Modern Africa" and contains works by African artists that have been borrowed from the Musée du quai Branly and the Centre National des Arts Plastiques. Here are images of a few of them:
© Discover Paris!
© Discover Paris!
Cotton batik
© Discover Paris!
Several covers from the African literary magazine Black Orpheus are displayed in a corridor, along with three journals containing compilations of African prose and poetry.
© Discover Paris!
© Discover Paris!
Room 29 is devoted to photographs of North African and black African subjects. There is also a corridor that displays numerous photos by the celebrated African photographer Malick Sidibé.
Room 32 is devoted entirely to the work of Afro-Cuban artist Wifredo Lam.
Wifredo Lam
1950 Oil on canvas
© Discover Paris!
Then there are black images in European art, such as A L'Afrique by Paul Joostens. This painting is exhibited in the "Art Deco" section (Rooms 20 and 21).
Paul Joostens
1920 Oil on canvas
© Discover Paris!
From an old French film, an excerpt called "Plantation" that features Josephine Baker is being shown in the same room alongside one of Alexander Calder's famous wire sculptures of Baker.
© Discover Paris!
© Discover Paris!
© Discover Paris!
Most interesting for me, next to the Delaney abstract, was the "modern odalisaque" work by American artist Larry Rivers. It is clearly inspired by Manet's Olympia.
Larry Rivers
1970 Oil on wood, plasticized canvas, plastic, and plexiglass
© Discover Paris!
There are undoubtedly other such works that I did not see during this visit - the exposition is huge and we only saw a fraction of it. It will be shown through January 2015, so there is ample time to return.
Entrée to Black Paris!™ is a Discover Paris! blog.
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