Chéri Samba, a colorful surrealist exhibition at the Musée Maillol - our photos

He's the most famous contemporary African painter of his generation, so why not get to know him this autumn? Visit the Musée Maillol, from October 17, 2023 to April 21, 2024, to discover the retrospective devoted to Chéri Samba. More than 40 years of his career are brought together in the 50 works on display at the museum.

Drawn from the Jean Pigozzi collection, these paintings recount the life, commitments and evolution of this Congolese artist. The exhibition A Retrospective: Chéri Samba, in the Jean Pigozzi Collection plunges us into the colorful, sometimes surreal world of this painter with his inimitable style.

Self-portraits, images of the Congo and Africa, art history, representation of women, the environment, geopolitics... Chéri Samba's paintings reflect the artist's passions and the world around him. Don't be put off by the colors, glitter, proportions, incongruous objects or opulent compositions of these paintings: every element is thought out, considered, symbolic. Behind these characters, these stagings, we find a reflection, a satire or a denunciation of the artist. Chéri Samba uses moral or political conflicts, social affairs and everyday stories to inspire and express himself. In an often humorous style, the painter points the finger at society's failings and the absurdities of the world.

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This exhibition allows us to (re)discover Chéri Samba's entire body of work, in a major retrospective spanning the artist's 40 years of creation. Over the years, we see the painter's style evolve and grow, and notice the intangible elements that accompany the artist in all his paintings.

The painter had already been exhibited in France, at the Centre Pompidou, the Fondation Cartier, the Fondation Louis Vuitton... This new exhibition at the Musée Maillol is an opportunity to attract the curious, to enjoy exceptional works, and to learn all about this defender of Kinshasa's "popular painting". Don't miss this unique retrospective!