Gallery Talks: Jazz and the Visual Arts
The Philadelphia Museum of Art
Philadelphia
Sept. 11, 2026
As the 19th century gave way to the 20th, a generation of musicians and visual artists stepped up to respond to a world being reshaped by mass industrialization and urbanization. In the visual mediums of painting and sculpture, a wave of stylistic breakthroughs like Cubism, Surrealism, and Abstract Expressionism rewrote the definition of art. In music, jazz emerged as the vanguard of this new modernist form of expression. Much like their modernist contemporaries, Black musicians were contemplating their place in this new world. Jazz would become the vehicle for these musicians to articulate the reality of Black social, political and cultural life in America.
As two of the most exciting creative movements of their time, jazz and modern visual art would naturally dovetail. As part of its "Pay What You Wish Friday Nights," the Philadelphia Museum of Art is offering guided gallery talks exploring the relationship between jazz and the visual arts. While the talks are brief (about 15 minutes long), they offer an informative journey through the museum’s beautifully curated selection of jazz-influenced art. Pieces like Willem de Kooning’s oil painting “Noon” practically vibrates with a free, improvisational energy reminiscent of a jazz solo. Claude Clark’s “Jam Session” depicts a trio of dancers in motion and is a fitting tribute to the power and physicality of jazz.
As we toured the museum’s current exhibition, "A Nation of Artists," poet and singer Yolanda Wisher and her band The Afroeaters played in the Great Stair Hall. As Wisher and her ensemble’s rich, effulgent sound echoed through the museum halls, it greatly enhanced the experience of viewing the art. This not only served as evidence of the continued vitality of jazz; it’s a reminder that some of the most daring creative movements of the past have lost any power or relevance.
