Spring is often a season of rebirth—but in museums across the globe, it’s also becoming a season of reckoning, remembrance, and radiant creative expression. This year’s slate of exhibitions centering Black artists, thinkers, and histories is both expansive and electric. From the genre-defying work of Kandis Williams to the celebratory legacy of Faith Ringgold, these shows invite viewers to sit with complexity, beauty, and bold reimaginings of cultural narratives.
Whether it’s The Work of Art tracing the legacy of the Federal Art Project through a more inclusive lens, or Paris Noir placing post-colonial resistance at the heart of the French art canon, these exhibitions aren’t just timely—they’re essential. Some, like Adam Pendleton’s Love, Queen, feel like direct conversations with today’s political moment. Others, like Roberto Lugo: Orange and Black, bridge the past and present with visual wit and soul.
Regardless of where you are in the world, this list is your guide to the Black art exhibitions that are challenging expectations and expanding the conversation—all while reminding us why we show up for art in the first place.
‘The Work of Art: The Federal Art Project, 1935–1943’
This exhibition revisits the Federal Art Project, a New Deal-era initiative that employed thousands of artists to create work for public spaces across the country. With a focus on African-American, Asian-American, and women artists, it reflects how art served as a unifying and expressive force during a time of national crisis. Many of the works were originally intended for St. Louis’s first interracial community art center. On view through April 13. Saint Louis Art Museum, slam.org.
‘Robert Graham Carter: The Art of Reflection’
This exhibition surveys the six-decade career of Long Island–based artist Robert Graham Carter, whose mixed media work explores themes of Black identity, spirituality, and familial bonds. A longtime art educator in the region, Carter’s pieces speak to both personal and collective histories shaped by segregation and resilience. On view through May 25. Heckscher Museum of Art, heckscher.org.
‘Roberto Lugo / Orange and Black’
Puerto Rican artist Roberto Lugo reimagines ancient Greek pottery by replacing classical figures with cultural icons like Jackie Robinson, Selena Quintanilla, and the Central Park Five. His work blends tradition and social commentary, telling powerful stories of resilience, injustice, and celebration. Historic Greek vessels are displayed alongside Lugo’s pieces, creating a striking dialogue between past and present. On view through July 6. Princeton University Art Museum, artmuseum.princeton.edu.
‘Saya Woolfalk: Tumbling into Landscape’
In this imaginative installation, Saya Woolfalk inserts her own image into the Newark Museum’s Hudson River School paintings, reworking the genre’s grand, romantic visions of nature to explore themes of identity and belonging. By blending her vibrant style with these historic landscapes, Woolfalk prompts viewers to reconsider who has been included—or excluded—in traditional narratives of American art. Ongoing. Newark Museum of Art, newarkmuseumart.org.
‘Renée Green: The Equator Has Moved’
Renée Green brings her layered explorations of history, language, and perception to Dia:Beacon with new additions to her ongoing Space Poems series—text-based banners drawn from literature and theory. The exhibition also revisits her 1990s Color works, inviting viewers to engage deeply with the act of seeing. Ongoing. Dia:Beacon, diaart.org.
‘Veronica Ryan: Unruly Objects’
Known for her quiet, poetic sculptures, Turner Prize–winning artist Veronica Ryan transforms humble materials like seeds, fruit, and cocoa pods into deeply resonant works. This first U.S. survey brings together around 100 pieces spanning four decades, highlighting how small objects can carry monumental meaning. On view March 7 to July 27, 2025. Pulitzer Arts Foundation, pulitzerarts.org.
‘Mestre Didi: Spiritual Form’
This exhibition spotlights the visionary work of Afro-Brazilian artist Mestre Didi, known for transforming sacred symbols of the Nagô Candomblé religion into sculptural forms using cowrie shells, beads, and natural materials. While centered on Didi’s legacy, the show expands to include works by other Afro-Brazilian artists, creating a broader cultural and spiritual dialogue. On view through July 13, 2025. El Museo del Barrio, elmuseo.org.
‘Oscar Murillo: Espíritus en el pantano (Spirits in the Swamp)’
Colombian-born artist Oscar Murillo returns with an interactive new commission created in collaboration with migrants passing through a shelter in Monterrey, Mexico. This centerpiece joins a selection of his past works—gritty, abstract canvases layered with texture and movement—to explore themes of displacement, labor, and collective memory. On view through August 10, 2025. Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Monterrey, marcomonterrey.org.
‘Paris Noir: Artistic Circulations and Anti-Colonial Resistance, 1950–2000’
As one of the final exhibitions before Centre Pompidou’s temporary closure, this sweeping survey highlights the work of 150 Black artists who lived and worked in Paris during the latter half of the 20th century. Spanning continents and artistic styles, the show explores how these artists—many from Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas—shaped post-colonial dialogues through their creative practices. New commissions appear alongside historic works by Wifredo Lam, Bob Thompson, and others. On view through June 30, 2025. Centre Pompidou, centrepompidou.fr.
‘Monira Al Qadiri: Deep Fate’
Monira Al Qadiri’s striking sculptures magnify the machinery of the oil industry, transforming familiar tools into surreal, alien forms. Born in Senegal and raised in Kuwait, her transnational perspective fuels a powerful critique of “petroculture” and its environmental toll. This solo exhibition highlights the artist’s exploration of oil’s impact on climate and culture through large-scale, thought-provoking works. On view March 21 to September 7, 2025. Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, kiasma.fi.
‘Raymond Saunders: Flowers from a Black Garden’
For over six decades, Raymond Saunders has created layered, enigmatic works that blend text, found objects, and imagery against black backdrops. His visually rich compositions challenge viewers to sit with complexity rather than seek easy answers. Now 90, the influential artist is celebrated with a long-overdue retrospective. On view March 22 to July 13, 2025. Carnegie Museum of Art, cmoa.org.
‘Graffiti’
Curated by artist Ned Vena and Leonie Radine, this wide-ranging exhibition takes a fresh look at graffiti’s influence on contemporary art. While it features pioneers like Futura 2000 and Lee Quiñones, the show expands beyond traditional street art to include figures like Lawrence Weiner, Melvin Edwards, and Jeanette Mundt, whose work blurs the lines between “low” and “high” art. The result is a dynamic conversation about form, rebellion, and cultural expression. On view March 29 to September 14, 2025. Museion, museion.it.
‘Adam Pendleton: Love, Queen’
Known for his concept of “Black Dada,” Adam Pendleton blends abstraction, language, and history to explore Black identity and resistance. This exhibition features his signature text-based paintings alongside a newly commissioned video installation on Resurrection City, the 1968 civil rights protest on the National Mall. With its timely themes and location, the show feels especially urgent in today’s political climate. On view April 4, 2025 to January 3, 2027. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, hirshhorn.si.edu.
‘Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers’
Rashid Johnson’s raw, expressive “Anxious Men” paintings made his name, but this sweeping retrospective reveals the full range of his multidisciplinary practice—from immersive plant-filled installations to meditative films. Filling the Guggenheim’s iconic rotunda, the show highlights Johnson’s poetic approach to themes like identity, vulnerability, and Black life. It also marks one of the final exhibitions curated by Naomi Beckwith before she shifts focus to Documenta 16. On view April 18, 2025 to January 16, 2026. Guggenheim Museum, guggenheim.org.
‘Kandis Williams: A Surface’
Kandis Williams resists easy categorization, working across collage, sculpture, film, performance, and publishing to explore themes of race, power, and representation. This first-ever survey embraces the breadth of her practice, featuring everything from image-based works to projects from her imprint, Cassandra Press. It’s a portrait of an artist who thrives in the undefined. On view April 24 to August 24, 2025. Walker Art Center, walkerart.org.
‘Collection in Focus: Faith Ringgold’
This focused exhibition spotlights Woman on a Bridge #1 of 5: Tar Beach (1988), the first in Faith Ringgold’s iconic quilt series about a young Black girl claiming her freedom from a Harlem rooftop. The show places Ringgold’s work in dialogue with artists who inspired her, like Marc Chagall and Pablo Picasso, as well as contemporary voices such as Tschabalala Self and Sanford Biggers. It’s a celebration of Ringgold’s enduring impact on modern and contemporary art. On view May 9 to September 7, 2025. Guggenheim Museum, guggenheim.org.
‘Essex Hemphill: Take Care of Your Blessings’
This group exhibition honors the enduring legacy of poet and performer Essex Hemphill, a vital voice in Black queer expression before his death in 1995. Rather than a traditional retrospective, the show gathers contemporary artists influenced by Hemphill’s words and presence, including those inspired by his impact on figures like filmmaker Isaac Julien. It’s a collective tribute to a life that reshaped cultural conversations. On view May 17 to August 31, 2025. The Phillips Collection, phillipscollection.org.
‘Lorna Simpson: Source Notes’
Best known for her conceptual photography, Lorna Simpson made a striking turn to painting in 2015 with haunting canvases that explore memory, erasure, and fragmented identity. This focused exhibition presents Simpson’s large-scale paintings as central to her practice, positioning her as a major force in contemporary painting. Through layered imagery and ambiguity, Simpson continues her exploration of how meaning shifts across mediums. On view May 19 to November 2, 2025. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, metmuseum.org.
‘Ezrom Legae: Beasts’
In his first major U.S. museum exhibition, South African artist Ezrom Legae is spotlighted for his powerful drawings that use animal forms to confront the brutal realities of apartheid. Spanning from 1967 to 1996, these contorted, expressive figures serve as metaphors for systemic violence, protest, and survival. Focusing on Legae’s most prolific periods—the 1970s and 1990s—the show reveals how his visual language challenged oppression through allegory and abstraction. On view June 13 to November 16, 2025. High Museum of Art. high.org.
‘Faith Ringgold: Seeing Children’
While Faith Ringgold is best known for her powerful narrative quilts, this exhibition shines a light on her prolific work as a children’s book author and illustrator. Featuring over 100 original paintings and drawings, including never-before-exhibited pieces, the show highlights Ringgold’s visual storytelling across beloved titles like Tar Beach, If a Bus Could Talk, and We Came to America. Through these works, Ringgold celebrates children as imaginative visionaries and cultural witnesses. On view June 27 to October 12, 2025. High Museum of Art, high.org.
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Mar 27, 2025
