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Learn about the co-curators
Ade Omotosho and Dr. Anna Katherine Brodbeck...
Reexamine the histories and stories
of enslavement, resilience, and the struggle for liberation from a global perspective...
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Gain perspective
on events and programming ABOUT the exhibition...
Attend and engage
Reflect and reconsider
new connections and questions about AFRO-ATLANTIC HISTORIEs
Afro-Atlantic Histories takes us to Latin America, the Caribbean, the United States, and Europe, but at its heart is Africa. Displaying works from the 17th century to the present, the exhibition explores the diverse visual cultures of the Afro Atlantic—places marked by the transatlantic slave trade and its brutal forced movement of African peoples across the Atlantic Ocean. This exhibition encourages new connections and questions that inspire us to reconsider Afro-Atlantic histories. The exhibition is divided into six thematic sections—each with works from different eras, territories, and media—that illuminate the ways the transatlantic slave trade transcends national boundaries and stretches across the centuries. The juxtaposition of historical works by European artists and later works by artists of the Black Diaspora reflects the lingering effects of fraught histories and the radical reimagination of those pasts. Together, they offer an expansive retelling of the many histories of the Afro-Atlantic.
FOR MUSEUM HOURS AND GENERAL VISITOR INFO ›
Into Bondage, 1936. Aaron Douglas. Oil on canvas. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Corcoran Collection (museum purchase and partial gift from Thurlow Evans Tibbs, Jr., the Evans–Tibbs Collection). © 2021 Heirs of Aaron Douglas / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY.
Indian from the Forest (Caboclo), 1963. Rosina Becker do Valle. Oil on canvas. © Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis-Chateaubriand – MASP, Gift of Lais H. Zogbi Porto e Telmo Giolito Porto in the context of the Afro-Atlantic Histories exhibition, 2018.
Through the Lens
new connections and questions about AFRO-ATLANTIC HISTORIES
Afro-Atlantic Histories takes us to Latin America, the Caribbean, the United States, and Europe, but at its heart is Africa. Displaying works from the 17th century to the present, the exhibition explores the diverse visual cultures of the Afro-Atlantic—places marked by the transatlantic slave trade and its brutal, forced movement of African peoples across the Atlantic Ocean. This exhibition encourages new connections and questions that inspire us to reconsider Afro-Atlantic histories. The exhibition is divided into six thematic sections—each with works from different eras, territories, and media—that illuminate the ways the transatlantic slave trade transcends national boundaries and stretches across the centuries. The juxtaposition of historical works by European artists and later works by artists of the Black Diaspora reflects the lingering effects of fraught histories and the radical reimagination of those pasts. Together they offer an expansive retelling of the many histories of the Afro-Atlantic.
October 22, 2023 to February 11, 2024
Afro-Atlantic Histories is co-organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Museu de Arte de São Paulo in collaboration with the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. At the Museu de Arte de São Paulo, the exhibition was curated by Adriano Pedrosa, Artistic Director; Ayrson Heráclito, Curator; Hélio Menezes, Curator; Lilia Moritz Schwarcz, Adjunct-curator of Histories; and Tomás Toledo. The coordinating curators at the Dallas Museum of Art are Katherine Brodbeck, Hoffman Family Senior Curator of Contemporary Art, and Ade Omotosho, The Nancy and Tim Hanley Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art. This exhibition is presented by Bank of America. Free General Admission to the Dallas Museum of Art is funded, in part, by the Robert Gerard Pollock Foundation. Additional support for the Museum is provided by generous DMA Members and donors, the Texas Commission on the Arts, and the citizens of Dallas through the City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture.
Community Partners:
Dallas BlAck Bloggers, Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce, DFW Urban League Young Professionals, South Dallas Cultural Center, and Young Leaders, Strong City.
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Ade Omotosho and Dr. Anna Katherine Brodbeck
sat down together to discuss their experience working on Afro–Atlantic Histories. The following is an excerpt of their conversation.
The co-curators for the DMA's presentation of this exhibition
AO:
You saw the original presentation of Afro-Atlantic Histories at the Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP), which is great because since it's made its jump to the U.S., it's been amended considerably. I wonder what struck you when you first saw the show and what you felt its overall effect was.
The first thing that struck me was how massive the presentation in São Paulo was. It not only took over multiple floors of MASP, but there was also a second venue—the Instituto Tomie Ohtake. The organizers produced a multivolume exhibition catalogue with an accompanying reader. So the scale of the exhibition was what initially blew me away, which signaled not only the rich nature and sheer immensity of the subject matter, but also the relative paucity of scholarly attention it had received in the past.
It was also great to see the show in Brazil because of how rich its transnational content is—you rarely get to see works from the U.S. alongside works from Brazil and the Caribbean in this context. For example, in the Rites and Rhythms section, you see West African influences on religion and music in Carnival and Candomblé, and then in the adjacent gallery there are works by artists in the U.S. who were responding to the civil rights movement. These are themes that aren’t typically addressed in the same exhibition. Beyond that, even as someone who specialized in Brazilian art in graduate school, there were so many great examples that I hadn’t seen exhibited before of Black artists in Brazil who are also dealing with issues of civil rights and racism like the U.S. artists in the show. So there was real depth in seeing these overlapping issues and how they play out on a global scale.
Yes, for me, working on this exhibition feels full circle in the way it has returned me to some of my early intellectual interests. When I was an undergraduate in art history at the University of Texas at Austin, I focused primarily on art of the African Diaspora, as well as on Yoruba language and culture. I was especially curious about the traces and transformations of West African belief systems such as Ifá in the Americas—think of Candomblé in Brazil and Santería or Regla de Ocha in Cuba—and I spent a great deal of time investigating the cultural connections that run throughout the global Black Diaspora. So it has been wonderful to return to those interests, to think again about artists who I was once fiercely obsessed with—María Magdalena Campos-Pons, for instance—and to work with objects that spurred and shaped my intellectual life. I imagine the exhibition has had a similar influence on you, especially since you studied Brazilian art in graduate school. I wonder what it's been like for you to return to Brazil, so to speak, and reexamine these histories. Has this exhibition expanded your sense of what you knew then?
Absolutely. I think there's been an overdue and important refocusing of the type of Brazilian art that is shown internationally, especially in the U.S. When I was studying Latin American art in the early 2000s, race was not a topic that was addressed much. In the years since I finished graduate school, there's been much more attention paid to artists of color within Latin America and how they have dealt not only with their culture but also with racism in their respective countries. So to me the show really represents that important change in the field.
This exhibition has allowed us to draw on our respective strengths and specialties as we’ve organized the DMA’s presentation. There are certain histories examined in the show that we both share an intellectual affinity for, but which we’ve arrived at from different, though complementary, angles.
Yes, this is also representative of the overlapping specializations that we’ve been cultivating within the Contemporary Art department in terms of our respective interests in the African Diaspora, Latin America, and Asia. These areas, of course, do not exist in isolation. There was a lot of migration between these regions, and artists have always traveled, which has resulted in rich creative cross-pollination and exchange. We hope to continue exploring these connections in upcoming exhibitions.
Zeferina, 2018. Dalton Paula. Oil on canvas. Museu de Arte de São Paulo, gift of the artist on the occasion of the Afro–Atlantic Histories exhibition, 2018. © Dalton Paula.
KB:
Community DAY SUPPORT
of enslavement, resistance, and the struggle for liberation from a global perspective
Conversation, 1981. Barrington Watson. Oil on canvas. © National Gallery of Jamaica.
The Permanence of Structures, 2017. Rosana Paulino. Digital print on cut and sewn fabric. Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand – MASP, Gift of Fernando Abdalla and Camila Abdalla in the context of the Afro-Atlantic Histories exhibition, 2018.
A Slave Rebellion on a Slaveship, 1833. Édouard-Antoine Renard. Oil on canvas. Musée du Nouveau-Monde, Collections d’Art et d’Histoire, La Rochelle, France.
Untitled, about 1970. Clementine Hunter. Oil on cardboard. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Gift of Anne Wilkes Tucker in honor of Alice C. Simkins.
Musicians, 1950s. Heitor dos Prazeres. Oil on canvas. Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand – MASP, Gift of Rafael Moraes in the context of the exhibitions Histories of Dance, 2020.
Eko Skyscraper, 2019. Njideka Akunyili Crosby. Acrylic and color pencil on panel. National Gallery of Art, Washington, Purchased with support from the Ford Foundation. © Njideka Akunyili Crosby. Courtesy the artist, Victoria Miro, and David Zwirner.
March on Washington, 1964. Alma Thomas (1891–1978). Acrylic on canvas, 31 x 39 inches/78.7 x 99.1 cm, signed. Courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York, NY.
With images of ships and continents, the artworks seen here powerfully evoke the early crossings and encounters of the Black Diaspora. From the arrival of Portuguese slave traders in Africa in 1526 to the abolition of slavery in Brazil in 1888, more than 10 million Africans were violently removed from their homes and their families. These enslaved people were forced across the Atlantic Ocean and exploited for their labors. With them, they brought their cultures, which have inspired generations ever since.
Maps and Margins
01.
The terror of the slave system and the struggles for emancipation are the focus of this section. European artists frequently illustrated the conditions of captivity, providing glimpses of the past. Their art, combined with documents recording the sales of enslaved people and advertisements for their recapture after escape, indicates the everyday cruelty and absolute loss of freedom. Contemporary artists have confronted this brutality by incorporating historic images of slavery in their own work, evoking the horrors of the past and the trauma from these histories that persists today.
Enslavements and Emancipations
02.
This section features images of daily life from the 17th century to the present that reflect moments of labor and leisure in Black communities. Works made by Europeans often romanticized Black subservience and portrayed forced labor as a natural part of everyday life. Later imagery by Afro-descendant artists presents the daily activities of Black homes and neighborhoods in more humanistic ways. It also details realities of racial inequities and state violence.
Everyday Lives
03.
Spiritual and musical practices, passed down and adapted through generations, have been central to the cultures of the Black Atlantic. This section includes depictions of various types of music and dance: merengue in the Dominican Republic, Candombe in Uruguay, samba in Brazil, and jazz in the United States. Carnival spread throughout the coasts of the Black Atlantic and took multiple forms, becoming a recurrent motif for several artists. Popular festivals were connected to religious rituals and pervaded by orishas, or deities, and Black saints. They assumed many forms: Candomblé, Macumba, and Umbanda in Brazil; Vodou in Haiti; Revivalism in Jamaica; and Santería in Cuba.
Rites and Rhythms
04.
This section presents an array of portraits of Black people from the 17th century through the present. In these pictures, we see leaders, heroes, and ordinary individuals; nudes; invented subjects; and the artists themselves, in a range of media, made by artists from Africa, the Americas, Europe, and the Caribbean. They affirm the poise, power, and presence of Black people and include some of the most celebrated portraits in the history of art.
Portraits
05.
This section takes its cue from histories of resistance and activism—the powerful pursuit of self-determination. From the moment of their arrival in the Americas, Africans and their descendants sabotaged the enslaving regime. Freed, escaped, and enslaved Black populations not only reacted against enslavement and racism, but also created their own religions, family ties, institutions, and social practices that continue to inspire activists and artists today.
Resistances and Activisms
06.
PRESENTEd By
THROUGH events and programming ABOUT the exhibition
Untitled, from the series For Sale, 2011. Paulo Nazareth. Photo print on cotton paper. Galeria Mended Wood DM, São Paulo.
Exhibition Talk:
AFRO–ATLANTIC HISTORIES
Thursday, October 19, 7:30 pm $5 public; Free for DMA Members
Join Dr. Kanitra Fletcher, curator of Afro-Atlantic Histories and Associate Curator, African American and Afro-Diasporic Art, Modern and Contemporary Art at the National Gallery of Art, for an exhibition overview, followed by a discussion with Ade Omotosho, The Nancy and Tim Hanley Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art at the Dallas Museum of Art.
Arts & Letters Live:
Jesmyn WarD
In conversation with Kiese Laymon Sunday, October 29, 7:00 pm Visit dma.org for ticket prices.
Beloved author Jesmyn Ward presents a reimagining of American slavery in her new novel Let Us Descend. Haunting, yet replete with transcendent love, the story journeys from the rice fields of the Carolinas to the slave markets of New Orleans and into the fearsome heart of a Louisiana sugar plantation. Let Us Descend inscribes Black American grief and joy into the rich but unforgiving forests, swamps, and rivers of the American South. Ward is a two-time National Book Award winner (Sing, Unburied, Sing and Salvage the Bones), the youngest winner of the Library of Congress Prize for Fiction, and a MacArthur Fellow. Her memoir Men We Reaped was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.
ZADIE SMITH
In conversation with Dr. Arlene Ford Wednesday, November 15, 7:30 pm Visit dma.org for ticket prices.
Acclaimed author Zadie Smith returns with The Fraud, a kaleidoscopic work of historical fiction set against the Tichborne trial, a legal cause célèbre that captivated Victorian England. When Sir Roger Tichborne, a lower-class butcher from Australia, claims to be the rightful heir of a sizable estate and title, deciding what is real proves a complicated task. Andrew Bogle, who grew up enslaved on the Hope Plantation, Jamaica, finds himself a star witness in this celebrated case of imposture, and knows his future depends on telling the right story. The Fraud is a dazzling novel about truth and fiction, Jamaica and Britain, fraudulence and authenticity, and the mystery of “other people.” Zadie Smith is the award-winning author of White Teeth, NW, On Beauty, and Swing Time, as well as a novella, three collections of essays, and a short story collection. She is a Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and a regular contributor to the New Yorker and the New York Review of Books.
Late Night
Friday, February 9, 5:00–11:00 pm $20 public; $10 students; Free for DMA Members (some exhibitions will require an additional ticket)
For the closing weekend of Afro-Atlantic Histories, stay up late with us and explore the themes of the exhibition through music and dance performances, talks, films, tours, art activities, and more! This is one of your last chances to see the show in the U.S.!
In conversation with Kiese Laymon Sunday, October 29, 7:30 p.m. Visit dma.org for ticket prices.
Wednesday, November 15, 7:30 p.m. Visit dma.org for ticket prices.
Friday, February 9, 5:00–11:00 p.m. $20 public; $10 students Free for DMA Members
Toddler Art:
November 10, 14, and 17
Toddler Art is for 2 and 3 year olds and a favorite grown-up. We’ll explore works of art in the galleries, and then create our own project or engage in sensory play. In November, search through images of people at home, at work, and at play in the Afro-Atlantic Histories exhibition.
Arturo's Art:
December 7 and 9
Arturo’s Art & Me is for a 3–5 year old and a favorite grown-up. Adults and young children listen to a story, look at works of art, and play hands-on games in the Museum galleries before creating an original work of art in the studio. Snap, clap, and bop through the Museum galleries! This December, find your own rhythm as we explore scenes of celebration, community, and routines of everyday life in the Afro-Atlantic Histories exhibition.
Family Workshop:
Rhythms of Life
Saturday, December 9
Family Workshops are for children ages 6–12 and their favorite grown-ups. Explore the galleries, engage in artful conversations, and try hands-on games as a family before creating a work of art in the studio. In December, explore the beauty of everyday life in the Afro-Atlantic Histories exhibition. Search through scenes of bustling streets, markets, and interiors and learn about the importance of images of leisure.
This program for teens is presented by Dr. Debbie DeWitte, AP Art History faculty at Plano East Senior High School. This is a FREE program that requires registration; limited to 20 participants. This session will be in the exhibition Afro-Atlantic Histories in the Barrel Vault on Level 1. Participants will meet at 5:50 p.m. at the main Guest Services Desk.
Open Studio
November 4, 5, 18, 19, noon–4:00 pm
Join us in the studio in the C3 Tower Gallery for a free, drop-by art-making activity for all ages on the first and third weekends of each month! For November we will be exploring themes of family and community in the Afro-Atlantic Histories exhibition. All materials are provided.
DMA Free Community Day:
Afro-Atlantic Histories
Sunday, JANUARY 14 11:00 aM–5:00 pm
On Sunday, January 14, 2024, admission to the special exhibition Afro-Atlantic Histories will be FREE for all guests! Bring your family and friends to explore the diverse visual cultures that retell the many stories of the Afro-Atlantic. Ticket reservations are not required in advance; visit the Guest Services Desk upon arrival. We can’t wait to welcome you!
Go van Gogh:
Community-based lesson plan for Pre-K–6th grade
Get ready to groove to the beat of everyday life! Join us as we explore the vibrant rhythms that surround us, from the hustle and bustle of city streets to the soothing sounds of nature. Through engaging activities and interactive discussions, students will uncover the beauty of rhythm in our daily routines. Students will create their own community square that captures the pulse of everyday life and leaves a colorful imprint on their artistic voice. Get ready to embrace the rhythm, express your creativity, and transform ordinary moments into extraordinary works of art! Request a Go van Gogh visit to your classroom here:
Make & Take
Friday, October 27, 5:30–8:30 pm
Join us for a special edition of Make & Take with a night of art making led by Quilting Sisters of Color, film screenings, and a tour celebrating Afro-Atlantic Histories. In the studio, Quilting Sisters of Color will provide instruction on how to create a quilted coaster or tissue holder, drawing from the long tradition of quilting in Black American culture. See an example of a story quilt made by the Harlem-born artist and ardent activist Faith Ringgold in the Afro-Atlantic Histories exhibition.
I Got the Rhythm
Work and play
November 10, 14 and 17, 2023
Arturo’s Art & Me:
December 7 and 9, 2023
Saturday, December 9, 2023
DMA Free Community Weekend:
The DMA will host a free two-day celebration for the Black community in connection with the upcoming special exhibition Afro-Atlantic Histories. Enjoy performances, tours, films, art making, food trucks and more! Admission to Afro-Atlantic Histories will be FREE all weekend. The DMA Free Community Weekend: Revelation & Celebration: Black History and Culture is offered in support of Afro-Atlantic Histories and is underwritten by Arlene J. Ford, PhD, and Christopher P. Reynolds, with free special exhibition admission presented by Kimberly-Clark.
Go van Gogh Request Form 2023-2024
November 4, 5, 18, 19, 12:00–4:00 pm
Join us in the Studio in the C3 Tower Gallery for a free, drop-by artmaking activity for all ages on the first and third weekends of each month! For November we will be exploring themes of family and community in the Afro-Atlantic Histories exhibition. All materials are provided.
American Art
Art History:
Friday, February 2, 2024, 6:00–7:00 pm
Rhythms of Everyday Life
—Community-based lesson plan for Pre-K–6th grade
COMMUNITY WEEKEND SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Styles of Artistry: Songs of Love and Loss
2:00 pm, Hamon Atrium
Enjoy a special performance featuring songs of love and loss performed by soprano singer Dr. Erica Vernice Simmons and Dr. Eldred Marshall on piano.
An evening with DMA Junior Associates: Afro-Atlantic Histories
November 17, 6:00–8:00 PM
Calling all young professionals! Join the Junior Associates as we kick off the free Community Weekend celebrating Afro-Atlantic Histories. Hear from Ade Omotosho, The Nancy and Tim Hanley Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art; enjoy cocktails provided by GO3 Vodka; and meet other young professionals in the DFW area while exploring the DMA's newest exhibition.
in learning the history of the African diaspora
The White Eagles, Black Indians of New Orleans, 1980. Marilyn Nance. Gelatin silver print. Light Work Collection, Syracuse.
Member Tickets
October 22, 2023 – February 11, 2024
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Bahian Market, 1956. Djanira da Motta e Silva. Oil on canvas. Private collection, Salvador, Bahia.
IMAGE GOES HERE
