Painting Black

“There is never a time in the future in which we will work out our salvation,” argues James Baldwin in his 1961 collection of essays Nobody Knows My Name. “The challenge is in the moment, the time is always now.” Over 60 years later, Baldwin’s words remain pertinent, serving as a poignant backdrop to the National Portrait Gallery’s upcoming exhibition titled “The Time is Always Now,” which explores, questions, and, ultimately, celebrates depictions of the Black figure throughout history with 55 works from 22 artists from across the African diaspora. The spring exhibition, which will run from February 22 to May 19, 2024, is a major study of the Black form, its representation in contemporary art, and its presence—and, more notably, absence—in Western art history.

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Curated by Ekow Eshun, former director of the Institute of Contemporary Arts, the London exhibition features Wangechi Mutu, Henry Taylor, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Michael Armitage, Jordan Casteel, and Lorna Simpson, among others. Never-before-seen works spanning painting, drawing, and sculpture grapple with pertinent subject matters ranging from racial violence and historical erasure, to barbershop sanctuaries and the mundane events of everyday life. “My hope is that the exhibition encourages audiences to look more closely at the imaginative reach of the exhibiting artists,” said Eshun in a statement, underscoring “[t]he ways they are illuminating the richness and complexity of Black life through figuration, and simultaneously asking searching questions about race, identity, and history.”

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The exhibition’s title is derived from a famous essay on desegregation by renowned American author Baldwin and was chosen by Eshun for its sense of urgency—along with the poignant reminder that while Black artists are experiencing a flourishing moment, the artistic lineage of Black art is ever-evolving. 

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“The Time is Now” is on view February 22 to May 19, 2024, at the National Portrait Gallery at St. Martin's Pl, London, WC2H 0HE, UK, before touring the U.S.

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