Cafritz called her collecting a relentless search for beauty that was always in part a political act, and she backed artists of African descent at the earliest, least fashionable stage of their careers. Her bequest to the Studio Museum ran to more than four hundred works; this is the first time the collection is shown as a portrait of the collector rather than a grab bag. If you want to understand how a single patron shapes a canon, start here.
What to expect
A cross-media hang on West 125th Street: chromogenic prints like Philip Kwame Apagya's studio backdrops next to paintings, textiles and sculpture, with wall texts that track how and when Cafritz acquired each artist. Expect names you already know beside artists she picked up before anyone else did.
Good to know
- 2/3 or A/B/C/D to 125th St, then walk to 144 West 125th Street
- Harlem's 125th Street corridor makes an easy half-day with lunch built in
- Geometries and Kapwani Kiwanga's BLEED are installed in the same building
- Wall texts do a lot of work here, so read rather than skim
- A single visit covers everything the museum currently has on view
- Good for anyone curious about how one patron shapes a canon
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Common questions
How large was the bequest?
Over four hundred works came to the Studio Museum from Cafritz's estate.
Who was Peggy Cooper Cafritz?
An arts patron, educator and civil rights activist who cofounded the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, in 1974.
What else is on at the Studio Museum?
Geometries runs September 10, 2026 through January 31, 2027, and Kapwani Kiwanga: BLEED runs through April 1, 2027.
More this weekend
