French Street Artist Shuck One Pays Tribute To Black History At Pompidou Center In Paris

French street artist Shuck One is honoring Black figures who shaped France's recent history on the mainland and overseas, in an art installation being produced for an exhibition starting next month at the Pompidou Center in Paris.

Shuck One is a Black graffiti and visual artist native of the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, which is a French overseas department. He is participating in the "Black Paris" exhibition, which retraces the presence and influence of Black artists in France from the 1950s to 2000.

The Pompidou Center, one of the world's top modern art museums, said that it will celebrate 150 artists of African descent, from Africa to the Americas, whose works have often never been displayed in France before.

Shuck One is one of five artists chosen to provide contemporary insights.

"I wanted to invoke the memory of the Black figures who created the 'Black Paris' and who, in a way, were pioneers before us in artistic, intellectual and other fields," Shuck One told The Associated Press. "It's a way for me to honor them."