Kara Walker: A Black Hole Is Everything A Star Longs To Be

Throwing open the doors to her personal archive that she has closely guarded for the past twentyeight years, Kara Walker presents more than 600 drawings from her studio. The Kupferstichkabinett Basel displays these treasures together with brand-new works by the world-famous American artist in her first extensive solo exhibition in Switzerland.

The abundance of drawings reveals that Walker deftly avails herself of a wide range of styles: one recognizes Goya’s light-dark contrasts, James Ensor’s vibrant line, or Hogarth’s flair for cartoonish emphasis. Her most recent works, by contrast, prominently feature instances of old masterly white heightening on tinted paper and even colored crayons. The echoes of historic art raise the question of Walker’s influences and how an African-American artist adds to the concepts of art history.

Tuesday–Sunday  10AM–6PM
Wednesday 10AM–8PM
Monday closed

Kunstmuseum Basel
St. Alban -Graben 8
CH-4010
Basel

https://kunstmuseumbasel.ch/en/exhibitions/2021/kara-walker