An exhibition titled "Paris in Black: Internationalism and the Black Renaissance" at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center in Chicago celebrates the Black American artists, writers, and performers who moved to Paris after World War II to escape American racism. Curated by Danny Dunson, the show features over 100 artworks from the museum's permanent collection, including paintings by Archibald J. Motley Jr., sculptures by Richmond Barthé, Augusta Savage, and William Artis, and ephemera related to Josephine Baker. It traces the global influence of the Harlem Renaissance and the cross-pollination between Paris and U.S. cities like Chicago.
The exhibition matters because it addresses the tension between the romanticized narrative of Black expatriates thriving in Paris and the troubling experiences they faced abroad. By mapping the sociopolitical and economic factors that drove this migration, the show provides a nuanced historical perspective on Black artistic production and its international impact. It also highlights the contributions of Chicago-based artists, broadening the story beyond Harlem and underscoring the interconnectedness of Black cultural movements across the Atlantic.