Centre Pompidou’s Cancellation of Caribbean Art Show Sparks Controversy
120July 16, 2025
More than 150 artists and arts professionals have signed anopen lettercastigating France’sCentre Pompidou-Metzfor its sudden cancellation of a long-planned survey of contemporary Franco-Creole, Caribbean French, and Guyanese art. Organized by Guadeloupe-born guest curatorClaire Tancons, “Van Lévé: Sovereign Visions from the Maroon and Creole Americas and Amazonia” was to have opened in October 2026 and run through early April 2027. French dailyLibérationreported that the exhibition was to have included the work of such luminaries as Julien Creuzet, France’s representative at the 2024 Venice Biennale, and Gaëlle Choisne, winner of last year’s Prix Marcel Duchamp.
According to French dailyLe Monde, the show was officially terminated June 10 following a tense text exchange between Tancons and Chiara Parisi, director of the Centre Pompidou-Metz. At issue was Tancons’s concern that the Caribbean survey would overlap with “Endless Sunday,” a solo exhibition of work by Maurizio Cattelan on view at the museum through February 2, 2027. Parisi told Tancons that her show would have to share space with the Cattelan show, and would in part be staged alongside the Conceptual artist’s 2010 sculptureL.O.V.E., a thirty-six-foot high marble rendering of a hand with its middle finger raised. When Tancons protested, Parisi suggested they rediscuss the dates, writing, “If you think that what we are proposing does not respect your vision, we would be very sad if you decided not to continue this wonderful adventure.” Tancons replied that she was uncertain how to proceed if contractual conditions were not respected. The next day she received an email from Parisi announcing that the show was canceled owing to budgetary woes. Speaking with Le Monde, Tancons described Parisi’s excuse as “unbelievable,” noting that the show had already secured funding from various sources, including a $500,000 grant from the Ford Foundation.
“A female Guadeloupean exhibition curator will always be overly ambitious, even if her international reputation is well established and she fundraised to cover nearly half of the budget for her exhibition,” wrote the authors of the open letter, whose signatories included artists set to participate in the canceled survey. The missive’s authors promised that the exhibition would take place at an as yet unnamed venue.