Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers

Rashid Johnson certainly qualifies as a ‘deep thinker’: his art has long been informed by literature, music, philosophy and science, and his ability to impress and provoke viewers across a variety of media – including painting, prints, photography, sculpture, and audio and video installations – is testament to his range. In his latest exhibition, some 90 works from across his three-decade career are on display throughout the rotunda of the Guggenheim (18 April–18 January 2026). They include The New Negro Escapist Social and Athletic Club (2008–11), a series of black-and-white photographs of members of a fictional club of Black intellectuals; a number of Johnson’s distinctive relief paintings made using black soap and wax; and Sanguine, a large-scale installation on the top ramp of the building that consists of a film of the same name, a piano, and a group of plants apparently floating in mid-air.

Find out more from the Guggenheim’s website.
Preview below | View Apollo’s Art Diary

The Broken Five (2019), Rashid Johnson. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Photo: Martin Parsekian; © Rashid Johnson, 2025

Self Portrait laying on Jack Johnson’s Grave (2006), Rashid Johnson. Collection of Dr. Daniel S. Berger. © Rashid Johnson, 2025

Bruise Painting “Honeysuckle Rose” (2021), Rashid Johnson. Collection of Steve and Alex Cohen. Photo: Martin Parsekian; © Rashid Johnson, 2025