Black Orpheus: Jacob Lawrence and the Mbari Club

On the 65th anniversary of the creation of Nigerian-based culture and arts publication Black Orpheus and the 60th anniversary of Jacob Lawrence’s first exhibition in Nigeria, the Chrysler Museum of Art will premiere Black Orpheus: Jacob Lawrence and the Mbari Club Oct. 7, 2022–Jan. 8, 2023. As the first museum exhibition of Lawrence’s Nigeria series and the international artists featured in Black Orpheus, the magazine of the Mbari Artists and Writers Club, it will explore the connection between Lawrence and his West African-based contemporaries during a period of artistic innovation emerging from socio-political upheaval. The exhibition features approximately 139 works in a wide range of media, as well as original letters, Black Orpheus issues and archival videos featuring Mbari Club artists.