‘The Color Line’ at Paris’ Quai Branly is an exhibition on segregation and racism in the United States portrayed by African-American artists over the past decades. <br /><br /> The title) comes from an article by abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass, later made famous by civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois. <br /><br /> As early as the 19th century, African-American painters were highlighting racial struggles in their works.<br /><br /> “There are some strong images in this exhibition which wouldn’t be shown in the United States: there are caricatures, illustrations for songs that were more or less racist,” says curator Daniel Soutif. “In those days, entertainment included Blackface and Minstrel Shows, Vaudeville – it was a time when people used the word ‘coon’ to designate a black person.”<br /><br /> https://youtu.be/-_swtbIi2F0<br /><br /> The exhibition takes viewers through the civil rights movement, the Harlem Renaissance, and introduces the new millennium with contemporary art work and media featuring Barack Obama’s historic presidency.<br /><br /> “We’re near the end of eight years under a black president in the United States. Barack Obama, in my opinion, has been a great president. He’s a president that will be go down in history, not simply because he was the first Afro-American president, but because of the policies that he put forward,” says Soutif. “But even Obama has not succeeded in eradicating racism in America.” <br /><br /> ‘The Color Line’ runs at the Quai Branly in Paris until mid-January.<br />
