The Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts (MCBA) in Lausanne presents “Ted Joans. Black Flower” until Sunday 28 February 2027. It is the first monographic exhibition devoted to this American artist.
Who organises it
The MCBA organises the exhibition. The curator is Pierre-Henri Foulon, curator of contemporary art at the MCBA.
The Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne and the LoRo support the project. The museum works closely with the artist’s estate.
What to find
Ted Joans (1928-2003) stands between surrealism, jazz, Black Power and pan-Africanism. His literary work is the best known. His drawings, collages and experimental films have remained largely unknown.
The exhibition follows his life. He grew up in Kentucky and Indiana. He arrived in New York in 1951 and joined the Beat circle of Greenwich Village. In the early 1960s, he settled in Paris, then lived between Europe and Africa, in Tangier and Timbuktu.
Collage is at the heart of his practice. In Berlin, in 1983 and 1984, he began the “Silent Poems”. These are short silent 8 mm films, made to be screened with jazz.
Several events accompany the exhibition.
- 15 Nov., guided tour in French
- 21 Nov., workshop for adults and poetry reading by Jake Lamar, open to all
- 22 Nov., guided tour in English
- 5 Dec., “0-100 ans” (0-100 Years) workshop, free
- 23 Jan. 2027, research and creation workshop
A 276-page catalogue, in French and English, is published by DISTANZ (Berlin). It costs CHF 39.
Practical information
- Dates, 9 Oct. 2026 to Sunday 28 Feb. 2027
- Opening hours, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday to Sunday 10 am to 6 pm, Thursday 10 am to 8 pm, closed on Mondays; 24 and 31 Dec. 10 am to 5 pm; closed on 25 Dec. and 1 Jan.
- Venue, MCBA, Plateforme 10, place de la Gare 16, 1003 Lausanne
- Price, until 31 Dec. 2026, CHF 15, reduced CHF 12 (MCBA ticket); three-museum ticket CHF 25, reduced CHF 19; from 1 Jan. 2027, Plateforme 10 ticket for three visits CHF 20, reduced CHF 17; free entry on the first Saturday of the month
- Age, free for under-26s
- Tickets, Plateforme 10 ticket office
Links
- Official site, MCBA, Ted Joans. Black Flower
- All events across French-speaking Switzerland, Genève Infos Agenda
Sources
- MCBA, Ted Joans. Black Flower, accessed 13 November 2026
- MCBA, Practical information, accessed 13 November 2026
- Lausanne Tourisme, Ted Joans. Black Flower, accessed 13 November 2026
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