ABSTRACT
Two revelatory exhibitions probed the vital topic of the representation of the black model in art: Posing Modernity: The Black Model from Manet and Matisse to Today, at Columbia University’s Wallach Art Gallery in New York, and Le Modèle noir de Géricault à Matisse, at the Orsay Museum in Paris. A transatlantic venture unprecedented in scale, these shows enriched the public’s understanding of modern art and the significant role of the black figure therein. Playing on the dual meanings of the word model—both an artist’s model and an exemplary figure—these exhibitions revealed the identities of black models, previously unknown or understudied, while also celebrating the achievements of black artists, writers, and performers. Expanding on Denise Murrell’s groundbreaking research on Édouard Manet’s model Laure as well as Henri Matisse’s engagement with African American culture, the Wallach and the Orsay spotlighted the complex and pivotal role of the black model in Western art history.
