Bold, striking, and visionary, Kerry James Marshall's monumental paintings centre the lives of Black Americans, blending art history, civil rights, comics, and science fiction to reimagine powerful, hopeful futures.

Offer available 20 September 2025 – 18th January 2026.

This autumn, experience the epic style of America’s biggest artist, Kerry James Marshall. Marshall, who was named to President Obama’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities in 2013, creates powerful paintings that place the lives of Black Americans front and centre. Often grand in scale, they reference art history, celebrate everyday life, and imagine optimistic futures. Don’t miss out on the biggest show to see this season. 

Internationally acclaimed artist Kerry James Marshall is one of the most important painters working right now. 

His vivid and mostly large-scale paintings place the Black figure front and centre. Marshall builds upon the Western tradition of history painting and makes visible those people who were so noticeably absent in the works that came before him. 

These powerful paintings are full of references which span art history, civil rights, comics, science fiction, his own memories, and more. He uses these to comment on the past, celebrate everyday life, and imagine more optimistic futures. 

This exhibition of his paintings will be the largest outside of the US, and the first chance for many to experience his works in the UK. 

See 70 works including his monumental commission from the Chicago Public Library, Knowledge and Wonder (1995), which has never been loaned before.