Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898 – 1971 honors the legacy of African American filmmakers and actors from the dawn of cinema, through the golden age, and into the aftermath of the Civil Rights Movement. Inspired by and named after an independent 1923 all-Black-cast movie, Regeneration seeks to revive lost or forgotten films, filmmakers, and performers for a contemporary audience.
Regeneration includes historical photographs, costumes, props, posters, and interactive elements specifically designed for this exhibition and juxtaposed with significant contemporary artworks by artists including Glenn Ligon, Gary Simmons, and Kara Walker. Objects and ephemera, newsreels and home movies, excerpts from narrative films and documentaries, and a selection of fully restored, rarely seen films amplify African American contributions to defining cinema in the United States.
Regeneration highlights the agency many Black artists asserted in their respective crafts despite challenges of systemic racism, revealing their tenacity, immense talent, and unwavering commitment to creative expression.
The Nicholas Brothers in a scene from Stormy Weather (1943), from left, Fayard Nicholas and Harold Nicholas. Photographic print, gelatin silver. Courtesy Margaret Herrick Library. ©Twentieth Century Fox.
Odds Against Tomorrow theatrical release poster, 1959. Lithograph. Director: Robert Wise. Edward Mapp Collection, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
In the Heat of the Night theatrical release poster, 1967. Lithograph. Director: Norman Jewison. Mirisch Corp. Poster Collection, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
International Sweethearts of Rhythm in That Man of Mine, 1946. 35 mm films transferred to video. Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.
Harlem on the Prairie, 1937. Lithograph. Director: Sam Newfield. Associated Features Inc. Edward Mapp Collection, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Excerpt from Something Good—Negro Kiss, 1898. 35 mm film transferred to digital. Director: William Nicholas Selig. The National Library of Norway.
Glenn Ligon (American, born 1960). Double America 2, 2014. Neon and paint, 48 x 145 x 3 in. (121.9 x 368.3 x 7.6 cm).
© Glenn Ligon, courtesy of Regen Projects. Courtesy of the artist; Hauser & Wirth, New York; Regen Projects, Los Angeles; Thomas Dane Gallery, London; and Galerie Chantal Crousel, Paris.
Soundtrack for Island in the Sun, 1957. Offset lithograph. Composer: Harry Belafonte. Brad Bennett Collection of soundtracks, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Theaster Gates (American, born 1973). Some Remember Sock Hops, Others Remember Riots, 2020. Wood, denim, and fire hose. 84 x 84 x 3.5 in. (213.36 x 213.36 x 8.89 cm). Regen Projects, Los Angeles.
© Theaster Gates
Still from Stormy Weather, 1943. 35 mm transferred to video. Director: Andrew L. Stone. Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
© 1943 Twentieth Century Fox. All Rights Reserved.
Louise Beavers in Reform School, 1939. Director: Leo C. Popkin. Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The Bronze Venus, Re-release of The Duke is Tops, 1938. Lithograph. Director: William N. Nolte. Poster collection, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.
Photograph of Hattie McDaniel, about 1940. Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Photograph of Fredi Washington, 1940. Maurice Seymour Studios. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library.
Dancers performing the Cake Walk, 1897. Gelatin silver print. Culver Pictures. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division, The New York Public Library.
Paul S. Henderson (American, 1899–1988). Paul Robeson protesting segregation at Ford’s Theater, 1948. Reproduction. Portrait collection, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library.
Paul S. Henderson (American, 1899–1988). Paul Robeson protesting segregation at Ford’s Theater, 1948. Reproduction. Portrait collection, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library.
Photograph of Bert Williams, about 1893. Bushnell Studios. Theatre Collection, Harvard University, Houghton Library, Harvard University.
The History Collection/Alamy Stock Photos.
Photograph of Bert Williams, about 1893. Bushnell Studios. Theatre Collection, Harvard University, Houghton Library, Harvard University.
The History Collection/Alamy Stock Photos.
Publicity still, The Flame of Paris (1938, rerelease of Princesse Tam-Tam, France, 1935). Photographer unidentified. Toddy Pictures Company. Reproduction from original negative. Toddy Pictures Company Photographs, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Publicity still, The Flame of Paris (1938, rerelease of Princesse Tam-Tam, France, 1935). Photographer unidentified. Toddy Pictures Company. Reproduction from original negative. Toddy Pictures Company Photographs, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Gary Simmons (American, born 1964). Balcony Seating Only, 2017. Oil paint on aluminum, steel, 156 x 192 x 30 in. (396.2 x 487.7 x 76.2 cm). Courtesy of the artist and Hauser & Wirth.
© Gary Simmons. Photo: Brian Forrest.
Gary Simmons (American, born 1964). Balcony Seating Only, 2017. Oil paint on aluminum, steel, 156 x 192 x 30 in. (396.2 x 487.7 x 76.2 cm). Courtesy of the artist and Hauser & Wirth.
© Gary Simmons. Photo: Brian Forrest.
Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898 – 1971 is organized by the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
At the Detroit Institute of Arts, lead support is generously provided by The Gilbert Family Foundation. Major support is provided by JPMorgan Chase & Co. Additional support is provided by the DTE Foundation and Amazon.
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