The 20th-century African American artists who sought refuge in the Nordic countries were driven not only by a desire to escape the brutal racial violence and systemic inequality in America but also by the rich cultural environment they found there.
“In the 1930s, musicians and singers toured the Nordic countries. Fats Waller remarked on their appreciation for swing music and their deep understanding of it, indicating there was an eager audience for performing artists,” explained Leslie Anne Anderson, Chief Curator of the National Nordic Museum in Seattle, in an interview with Forbes.com. “For visual artists like William H. Johnson, Paris was a starting point where he met his Danish artist wife before relocating to the Nordics.”
The National Nordic Museum’s exhibition, “Nordic Utopia? African Americans in the 20th Century,” delves into the compelling narratives of African American visual and performing artists who found creative sanctuary in the Nordic countries starting in the 1930s. This first-of-its-kind exhibit runs through July 21, 2024.
