Lubaina Himid. A Fashionable Marriage

With A Fashionable Marriage, the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris presents an installation by Lubaina Himid within its collections. Created in 1986, this scene of painted figures and assembled materials reworks William Hogarth’s Marriage A-la-Mode to explore the relationships between political power, the art world and the representation of Black people.

Himid brings the eighteenth-century satire into the Reagan and Thatcher era. The countess and her lover take on the features of the two leaders, a courtier becomes an art critic, and the Black figure who served drinks takes centre stage. This reassignment of roles turns a reference to art history into a commentary on British society in the 1980s.

A prominent figure in the Black British Art Movement, Lubaina Himid uses painting to bring marginalised histories and experiences into view. Presented in collaboration with the Festival d’Automne, the installation offers a chance to revisit one of the starting points of this artistic exploration.

Practical information
- Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 6pm.
- Installation in Room 20 of the permanent collections.