Black Arts & Culture Feature:
- Major fall 2025 monographic shows spotlight historic and contemporary Black and diasporic artists across leading museums worldwide.
- Notable firsts: hometown retrospectives and first U.S./European surveys for artists like Theaster Gates, Wifredo Lam, and Allan Rohan Crite.
- Geographic breadth: exhibitions span North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia, including landmark presentations at MoMA, SFMOMA, Royal Academy, and Zeitz MOCAA.
- Range of practices: painting, sculpture, ceramics, film, performance, and community-focused projects showcased in expansive career surveys.
Installation view of “Woody De Othello: coming forth by day,” Pérez Art Museum Miami (Nov. 13, 2025-June 25, 2026). | Photo: Lazaro Llanes
FALL IS PRIME EXHIBITION SEASON at art museums worldwide, the time of year when institutions schedule their most important shows and landmark presentations. Fall 2025 is no exception. Must-see monographic exhibitions dedicated to pivotal historic figures and headlining contemporary artists opened recently and remain on view through early 2026 and beyond. The expansive exhibitions survey the careers of the artists and mark many firsts.
Allan Rohan Crite (1910-2007) referred to himself as a “storyteller” and “artist-reporter.” One of Boston’s great artists, his subject was the everyday lives of African Americans in Lower Roxbury and South End. He also explored religious themes. Long overdue, concurrent surveys at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and Boston Athenaeum, institutions Crite visited regularly, are the first mainstream museum exhibitions of the artist in his hometown.
“Theaster Gates: Unto Thee” is the first solo museum exhibition of the artist in his hometown of Chicago, where he makes paintings, works with ceramics, transforms forgotten buildings into creative spaces, and has become a steward of many of the city’s collections, including the Johnson Publishing Company archives. Arriving this week in Washington state, “The One-Two Punch: 100 Years of Robert Colescott” debuts at Tacoma Art Museum, celebrating the centennial of the late artist’s birth with a selection of his bold and complex paintings and lesser-known early works on loan from the artist’s family.
Suzanne Jackson founded Gallery 32 in Los Angeles (1968-70) and over six decades her practice has evolved across painting, drawing, poetry, dance, and theater design. “Suzanne Jackson: What is Love” at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art features more than 80 paintings and is the first retrospective to consider the spectrum of Jackson’s career.
The expansive exhibitions survey the careers of pivotal historic figures and headlining contemporary artists and mark many firsts.
Installation view of “Suzanne Jackson: What is Love,” Opening Reception, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (Sept. 25, 2025). | Courtesy SFMOMA, Photo: Drew Altizer
New York is showcasing two Cuban-born artists. “Wifredo Lam: When I Don’t Sleep, I Dream” at the Museum of Modern Art is the first retrospective in the United States of the Cuban-born artist who “expanded the horizons of modernism by creating a meaningful space for the beauty and depth of Black diasporic culture.” El Museo del Barrio is presenting “Coco Fusco: Tomorrow, I Will Become an Island.” Spanning three decades, the first U.S. survey of the New York-based, Cuban American artist and writer explores the dynamics of politics and power across multiple mediums. (The New York exhibition coincides with “Coco Fusco: I Learned to Swim on Dry Land at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Barcelona, Spain, May 23, 2025-Jan. 11, 2026.)
In Florida, “Richard Hunt: Pressure,” the first posthumous U.S. museum survey of the Chicago sculptor is now open at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami. The exhibition features 25 works spanning the the 1950s to 2010s. “Woody De Othello: coming forth by day” at Pérez Art Museum Miami is the rising artist’s first solo museum exhibition in his hometown. The Miami-born sculptor is recognized for his quirky, hand-built ceramics. Both exhibitions coincide with Art Basel Miami Beach (Dec. 5-7, 2025).
Internationally, “Cauleen Smith: Afflict the Comfortable, Comfort the Afflicted” at Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in Cape Town, South Africa, is the first survey exhibition of the Los Angeles–based artist and filmmaker on the continent of Africa. “Jacob Lawrence: African American Modernist” at Kunsthal KAdE in Amersfoort, TheNetherlands, is the first retrospective of the modern master in Europe.
Mickalene Thomas‘s retrospective “All About Love” is particularly notable because she is the first African American artist to have a major solo exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris, France. Meanwhile, “Kerry James Marshall: The Histories” at the Royal Academy of Art in London is the largest-ever UK exhibition of the Chicago artist. More than 70 works are on view, including a new series of paintings about the role of Black Africans in the transatlantic slave trade.
The expansive lineup also features new solo exhibitions of Martin Puryear, Seydou Keïta, and Tavares Strachan, among others. Explore the wide-ranging selections below. CT
Installation view of “Mark Bradford: Keep Walking,” Amorepacific Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea (Aug. 1, 2025-Jan. 25, 2026). | Courtesy APMA
Mark Bradford: Keep Walking @ Amorepacific Museum of Art | Aug. 1, 2025-Jan. 25, 2026
Installation view of “Jennie C. Jones: A Line When Broken Begins Again,” Pulitzer Arts Foundation, Saint Louis, Mo. (Sept. 5, 2025-Feb 1, 2026). | © Jennie C. Jones, Photography by Suzy Gorman. © Pulitzer Arts Foundation
Jennie C. Jones: A Line When Broken Begins Again @ Pulitzer Arts Foundation, Saint Louis, Mo. | Sept. 5, 2025-Feb 1, 2026
Installation view of “Coco Fusco: Tomorrow, I Will Become an Island,” El Museo del Barrio, New York, N.Y. (Sept. 18, 2025-Jan. 11, 2026). | Photo: Matthew Sherman
Coco Fusco: Tomorrow, I Will Become an Island @ El Museo del Barrio, New York, N.Y. | Sept. 18, 2025-Jan. 11, 2026
KERRY JAMES MARSHALL, “Haul,” 2025 (acrylic on PVC panel in artist’s frame, 221 x 321 cm). | © Kerry James Marshall. Image courtesy David Zwirner, London. Photo: Kerry McFate
Kerry James Marshall: The Histories @ Royal Academy of Art, London, UK. | Sept. 20, 2025-Jan. 18, 2026
Installation view of “Theaster Gates: Unto Thee,” Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago, Ill., (Sept. 23, 2025-February 22, 2026). | Artwork © Theaster Gates. Photo: Sara Pooley
Theaster Gates: Unto Thee @ Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago, Ill. | Sept. 23, 2025-Feb. 22, 2026
Installation view of “Suzanne Jackson: What is Love,” San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (Sept. 27, 2025-March 1, 2026). | Courtesy SFMOMA, Photo: Don Ross
Suzanne Jackson: What is Love @ San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). | Sept. 27, 2025-March 1, 2026
JACOB LAWRENCE, “Brownstones,” 1958 (Egg tempera on hardboard, 80 x 94,6 cm). | Clark Atlanta University Museum. © Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation. Courtesy of Pictoright, Amsterdam 2025
Jacob Lawrence: African American Modernist @ Kunsthal KAdE, Amersfoort, Netherlands. | Sept. 27, 2025-Jan. 4, 2026
Installation view of “Martin Puryear: Nexus,” Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art (Sept. 27, 2025-Feb. 8, 2026). Shown, from left, “C.F.A.O.” (2006-07)); “A Column for Sally Hemmings” (2021); “Malediction” (2006-07); “Big Phrygian” (2010-14). | Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Martin Puryear: Nexus @ Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Boston, Mass. | Sept. 27, 2025-Feb. 8, 2026
JERRELL GIBBS (b. 1988), “Man with Lilacs,” 2021 (oil, oil stick on canvas, 69 1/4 x 57 inches). | The Traci and Mark Lerner Collection
Jerrell Gibbs: No Solace in the Shade @ Brandywine Museum of Art, Chadds Ford, Pa. | Sept. 28, 2025 – March 1, 2026
SEYDOU KEÏTA, Untitled, 1949–51, printed circa 1994–2001 (gelatin silver print). | Courtesy the Musée national du Mali. ©://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/seydou-keita”>Seydou Keïta: A Tactile Lens @ Brooklyn Museum, New York, N.Y. | Oct. 10, 2025-May 17, 2026
Installation view of “Tavares Strachan: The Day Tomorrow Began,” Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), 2025–26. Shown, far left, TAVARES STRACHAN, “Inner Elder (Nina Simone as Queen of Sheba),” 2023 (ceramic, 39 3/8 x 23 5/8 x 23 5/8 inches / 100 x 60 x 60 cm). | Courtesy the artist and Marian Goodman. Photo: Elon Schoenholz
Tavares Strachan: The Day Tomorrow Began @ Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). | Oct. 12, 2025–March 29, 2026
ALAN ROHAN CRITE (American, 1910–2007), “And the Lord Said,” 1934 (oil on canvas). | Courtesy Museum of African American History Boston | Nantucket. Courtesy Allan Rohan Crite Research Institute and Library
Allan Rohan Crite: Urban Glory @ Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, Mass. | Oct. 23, 2025-Jan. 19, 2026
ALLAN ROHAN CRITE (American, 1910-2007), “Fruit and snow : from my window at 2 Dilworth St.,” 1940 (watercolor with ink and white highlights over graphite). | Boston Athenaeum. Gift of Allan Rohan Crite, February 1971. Courtesy Allan Rohan Crite Research Institute and Library
Allan Rohan Crite: Griot of Boston @ Boston Athenaeum, Boston, Mass. | Oct. 23, 2025-Jan. 24, 2026
WIFREDO LAM (Cuban, 1902–1982), “La jungla (The Jungle),” 1942–43 (oil and charcoal on paper mounted on canvas, 94 1/4 x 90 1/2 inches / 239.4 x 229.9 cm). | The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Inter-American Fund
Wilfredo Lam: When I Don’t Sleep, I Dream @ Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, N.Y. | Nov. 10, 2025–April 11, 2026
Installation view of “Woody De Othello: coming forth by day,” Pérez Art Museum Miami (Nov. 13, 2025-June 25, 2026). | Photo: Lazaro Llanes
Woody De Othello: coming forth by day @ Pérez Art Museum Miami, Miami, Fla. | Nov. 13, 2025-June 25, 2026
MINNIE EVANS (American, 1892–1987), “Design Made at Airlie Gardens,” 1967 (oil and mixed media on canvas on paperboard). | © The Estate of Minnie Evans. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist
The Lost World: The Art of Minnie Evans @ High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Ga. | Nov. 14, 2025-April 19, 2026
CAULEEN SMITH, “Sojourner” 2018 (Film Still: digital video, colour, sound, uration: 22:41 minutes). | © Cauleen Smith, Courtesy the artist
Cauleen Smith: Afflict the Comfortable, Comfort the Afflicted @ Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA), Cape Town, South Africa. | Nov. 20, 2025-Oct. 4, 2026
RICHARD HUNT, “From the Ground Up,” 1989 (cast and welded bronze, 88 × 70 × 57 inches). | © The Richard Hunt Trust / Artist Rights Society (ARS). New York. Photo: Nathan Keay
Richard Hunt: Pressure @ Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), Miami | Dec 2, 2025-March 29, 2026
ROBERT COLESCOTT (1925–2009), “Artistry and Reality: A Piece of Cake,” 1982 (acrylic on canvas, 16-1/2 x 19 x 1-1/4 inches). | Courtesy of The Robert H. Colescott Family. © 2025 The Robert H. Colescott Separate Property Trust / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
The One-Two Punch: 100 Years of Robert Colescott @ Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, Wash. | Dec. 5, 2025-
MICKALENE THOMAS, “Afro Goddess Looking Forward,” 2015 (rhinestones, acrylic, and oil on wood panel). | © 2025 Mickalene Thomas
Mickalene Thomas: All About Love @ Grand Palais, Paris, France | Dec. 17, 2025-April 5, 2026
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BOOKSHELF
New exhibition catalogs document many of the featured shows. The selections include “Allan Rohan Crite: Neighborhood Liturgy,” “Wifredo Lam: When I Don’t Sleep, I Dream,” “Suzanne Jackson: What Is Love,” “Martin Puryear: Nexus,” “Jerrell Gibbs: No Solace in the Shade,” “Mickalene Thomas: All About Love,” and “Kerry James Marshall: The Histories.” Also consider, “Tavares Strachan: There Is Light Somewhere” and “Kerry James Marshall: Rythm Mastr. This Is How It Begins.” Coming soon, Mark Bradford: Keep Walking and “Woody De Othello: coming forth by day” will be published in January.
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