Kerry James Marshall: The Histories

Fabulous exhibition at the Royal Academy featuring work by Kerry James Marshall.

This was clever, layered work and much more subtle that I’m imagined from just seeing images from it online. There was a deep awareness of art history that was used to reflect black experience and history.

The labels were clearly written the explain the depth of the work and it introduced me to a variety of characters.

Marshall had included a room of new work which reflected on the role of Africans in the slave trade which added a nuanced argument to the narrative.

The works themselves were very painterly combining narrative with subtle details such as delicate still-lives and rather good dogs.

Closes 18 January 2026


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