James Baldwin exhibition added to Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in DC

WASHINGTON - The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery welcomes a new exhibition in honor of James Baldwin.

"This Morning, This Evening, So Soon: James Baldwin and the Voices of Queer Resistance," is a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the writer, essayist, playwright and activist. 

Baldwin was often recognized for speaking out against injustice when other like-minded artists and activists were overshadowed. 

The exhibition combines portraiture and biography to thoroughly help explore Baldwin’s legacy alongside his contemporaries in art, music, film, literature, and activism. The exhibition is curated by the National Portrait Gallery’s Director of Curatorial Affairs, Rhea L. Combs, in consultation with Hilton Als, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and New Yorker staff writer. It will be on view July 12, 2024 through April 20, 2025.  

"On the centennial of Baldwin’s birth, it is important to look at this prolific thinker and writer, not only for his visionary insights but his influence that still resonates," Combs said. "Baldwin was bolstered by a community of like-minded creatives, including Lorraine Hansberry, Nina Simone and Bayard Rustin, and his influence remains steadfast in the next generation of activists and artists. This exhibition seeks to highlight Baldwin’s significance through a collective portrait that not only offers a portrait of him, but also honors those who helped him become the man known for holding a mirror up to America and her promise."

The exhibition also features art by several notable artists, like Lyle Ashton Harris, Richard Avedon, Beauford Delaney and Bernard Gotfryd, along with contemporary art by Glenn Ligon, Donald Moffett, Sedat Pakay, Faith Ringgold, Lorna Simpson, and Jack Whitten.