Art has always served as a mirror towards society. For Black artists in particular, every canvas, print, and performance becomes a way to carve space in spaces that have too often tried to close the door. This fall, museums and galleries across the country are presenting exhibitions that highlight the stories that center Black culture in all its depth and complexity.
Few shows embody that spirit more vividly than Lord, I gotta keep on (movin’), South African artist Athi-Patra Ruga’s dazzling installation at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art. Ruga conjures a fictional queer Black nation called Azania, populated by femme figures drawn from history and family alike. His use of textiles, glass, and video creates a universe where myth collides with liberation, reminding audiences how imagination can rewrite the world we inherit.
History itself is re-examined in Edmonia Lewis: Indelible Impressions at Stanford’s Cantor Arts Center. Lewis, who was of Black and Native American ancestry, carved a career in 19th-century Rome against impossible odds. Her finely wrought Neoclassical sculptures stand as evidence of both her artistic brilliance and her refusal to be defined by the limits of her era. Seeing her work gathered anew is less about nostalgia than about recognizing her rightful place in the canon. In New York, Data Consciousness: Reframing Blackness in Contemporary Print takes inspiration from W. E. B. Du Bois’ data visualizations of Black American life, reimagined here by five artists who explore what it means to make art in an age of surveillance. Their works push back against the coldness of technology, asserting presence, autonomy, and creative resistance.
These are only a few highlights in a season packed with exhibitions that stretch across time, geography, and genre—from Minnie Evans’s fantastical drawings at the High Museum in Atlanta, to the reopening of the Studio Museum in Harlem, to the global energy of Art Basel Miami Beach. Together, they remind us that Black art is ever-expanding, and claiming its place in history while imagining the world to come.
South African artist Athi-Patra Ruga transforms the Leslie-Lohman into a dazzling portal of liberation with his imagined nation of Azania — a queer Black matriarchy where textiles, glass, and video fuse into myth. Femme figures from South African and diasporic history, including his grandmother, inhabit this glittering, alternative society. The result is both radical storytelling and a vibrant meditation on resilience, kinship, and joy.
Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art, 26 Wooster Street, Soho, Manhattan | Sept. 11–Jan. 18, 2026
This intimate exhibition brings unexpected reverence to one of Africa’s most functional objects: the spoon. Carved and sculpted with extraordinary artistry, these utensils reveal both aesthetic mastery and cultural storytelling. Visitors will encounter a surprising diversity of form and design, proof that even the humblest object can be elevated into a vessel of beauty, symbolism, and heritage.
Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, Calif. | Sept. 14–Jan. 11, 2026
Edmonia Lewis, the groundbreaking 19th-century sculptor of Black and Native American ancestry, carved out a path in Rome after the support of abolitionist patrons in the U.S. This focused show highlights works from the peak of her career, underscoring her Neoclassical mastery and her unique voice in an era when women and artists of color faced immense obstacles. It’s a rare chance to experience the legacy of a true trailblazer.
Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University, Stanford, Calif. | Sept. 17–Jan. 4, 2026
Building on W. E. B. Du Bois’s iconic data visualizations of Black life, this exhibition gathers five artists and collectives who reimagine his legacy in a digital age defined by surveillance and technology. Through innovative printmaking, they transform data into art, reclaiming narratives of Black identity and autonomy. The show’s title nods to Du Bois’s theory of double consciousness, offering a timely meditation on visibility, power, and creativity.
Print Center New York, 535 West 24th Street, Chelsea, Manhattan | Sept. 18–Dec. 13
Known for performances that pierce cultural and political blind spots, Coco Fusco finally receives her first U.S. museum survey. From provocative early works like Two Undiscovered Amerindians Visit the West to recent explorations of disappearance and exile, the Cuban American artist and activist consistently challenges how race, gender, and empire are represented. This expansive exhibition cements her reputation as one of contemporary art’s sharpest critical voices.
El Museo del Barrio, Manhattan | Sept. 18–Jan. 11, 2026
For more than six decades, John Wilson gave monumental form to Black dignity, labor, and beauty. This major retrospective — his largest to date — showcases drawings, prints, paintings, and sculptures, including preparatory works for his celebrated 1986 bronze bust of Martin Luther King Jr. in the U.S. Capitol. Wilson’s practice bridged activism and artistry, affirming Black humanity at a time when such depictions were sorely absent.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue, Upper East Side, Manhattan | Sept. 20–Feb. 8, 2026
Marking the 60th anniversary of W.E.B. Du Bois’ passing, this timely exhibition gathers heavyweights like Derrick Adams, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Theaster Gates, Julie Mehretu, and Mickalene Thomas. Their works in photography, installation, video, and sculpture expand on Du Bois’ legacy across Pan-Africanism, women’s rights, and environmental justice. Together, these artists show how Du Bois’s radical thinking continues to resonate, inspiring new visions of equity, care, and global solidarity.
Pratt Manhattan Gallery, 144 West 14th Street, West Village, Manhattan | Sept. 26–Dec. 20
Ancient splendor takes center stage in this sweeping survey of Egypt’s pantheon. Brilliantly crafted deities in gold, silver, and blue faience anchor the exhibition, inviting visitors to explore a world where beauty and power intertwined with the sacred. This show reveals not only the technical mastery of Egyptian artisans but also the enduring pull of spiritual devotion that continues to captivate audiences thousands of years later.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Manhattan | Oct. 12–Jan. 19, 2026
This provocative exhibition examines history through the fate of monuments themselves. Recently decommissioned statues — including those once erected to honor Confederate soldiers — are presented alongside works by contemporary artists such as Martin Puryear, Kara Walker, Hank Willis Thomas, and Karon Davis. Together, these juxtapositions ask urgent questions: who and what deserves remembrance, and how do we build new monuments that reflect our evolving collective conscience?
MOCA Los Angeles and The Brick | Oct. 23–Apr. 12, 2026
A towering figure of 20th-century Modernism, Wifredo Lam fused Surrealism and Afro-Cuban symbolism into a visual language that challenged European art’s exclusions. This landmark retrospective — his most comprehensive in the U.S. — spans over 150 works, tracing his global journey from Cuba to Spain, Paris, and back. Lam’s bold embrace of African heritage and anti-colonial vision cemented him as a revolutionary voice in modern painting and sculpture.
The Museum of Modern Art, Manhattan | Nov. 10–Apr. 11, 2026
Visionary artist Minnie Evans turned dreams and visions into dazzling drawings that brim with color, pattern, and mystical intensity. This national touring exhibition brings together more than 100 works, revealing Evans’s singular ability to transform the ordinary into the fantastical. Her compositions — equal parts kaleidoscopic and spiritual — remain some of the most imaginative contributions to 20th-century American art, inviting viewers into her boundless inner cosmos.
High Museum of Art, Atlanta | Nov. 14–Apr. 19, 2026
When the Studio Museum in Harlem reopens its long-anticipated new building, audiences will be greeted with a vibrant suite of exhibitions. Chief among them is a show dedicated to Tom Lloyd, a pioneer of electronic light sculpture. New works by Camille Norment and Christopher Myers, archival reflections on the museum’s history, and a sprawling project featuring 100+ former artists-in-residence round out this triumphant new chapter in Black cultural stewardship.
Studio Museum in Harlem, 144 West 125th Street, Manhattan | Opening Nov. 15
For the latest installment of MoMA’s Artist’s Choice series, Arthur Jafa turns his sharp curatorial eye on the museum’s collection. Known for his maximalist collages and searing explorations of Black life, Jafa surprises here by embracing restraint. Through his selections, he reveals the poetic power of minimal gestures and quiet intensity, challenging audiences to rethink what “less” can express in art, politics, and culture.
The Museum of Modern Art, Manhattan | Nov. 19–July 5, 2026