Melvin Edwards at Palais de Tokyo

Palais de Tokyo presents Melvin Edwards' major retrospective with artistic direction by Naomi Beckwith. A pioneer in the history of contemporary African-American art, Edwards is celebrated for his distinctive large-scale abstract sculptures and his site-specific three-dimensional installations made from welded steel, barbed wire, chain and machine parts. 

Among his most recognised works is his Lynch Fragments, a series of wall-mounted assemblages of welded industrial objects and materials he began in 1963. As his practice developed during the Civil Rights Movement, Edwards’ use of these materials interrogate American cultural memory and socioeconomic history. The exhibition also explores the artist's long-standing collaborations with poets and his contributions to printmaking in Dakar.

This exhibition is curated by Amandine Nana and François Piron, and assisted by Vincent Neveux.