An ambitious exhibition, showcasing how artists have depicted everyday Black joy in painting over 100 years, has made its way from South Africa to Switzerland. African art is currently experiencing quite the Renaissance in Europe. At long last, major museums, art fairs, and private collections across the continent are starting to embrace works by artists of African descent and those of African nationalities like never before.
In London, this cultural wave has surged spectacularly. In 2024, there have already been several major exhibitions celebrating African creativity, such as exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, which explored contemporary portrayals of Black figures, to 's historic colonial statues showcase at the Serpentine Gallery. Adding to the excitement, the Tate Modern has just announced for 2025.
Away from the UK, one of the latest exhibition's to make its way to Europe is , which was originally conceived by the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, Cape Town, and is temporarily being housed at the Kunstmuseum in Basel, Switzerland. The monumental exhibition is a first of its kind, bringing together 100 years of Black figurative painting to celebrate the multifaceted nature of Black experiences across the globe, both from the African continent and its vast diaspora. Most of the over 150 works on display, created by both prominent and emerging talents in the African art scene, have never been seen in Switzerland, nor have they ever been shown on such a sca.