The Conservation Center had the honor of collaborating with Kerry James Marshall to craft artist’s frames, built precisely to his specifications, for his newest series, Africa Revisited. These works are part of The Histories, his landmark exhibition now on view at the Royal Academy in London.
“I keep going back to The Conservation Center because I know they never stop short of achieving the best results possible for every project we’ve done together,” said Marshall.
Marshall at The Center with two of his paintings.
Curated by Mark Godfrey and Adrian Locke, the exhibition brings together both new and career-defining works. Marshall, widely regarded as one of the most important American painters of his generation, has spent decades reshaping the art historical canon by centering Black figures, culture, and history in his work. The Histories engages with centuries of storytelling traditions, asking viewers to reconsider not only which stories get told, but how they are represented.
Our CEO, Heather Becker, attended the opening at the Royal Academy with her friend Jeanne Gang of Studio Gang, alongside her mother Gloria Becker. Together they joined artists, curators, and collectors in celebrating this milestone exhibition, while also seeing The Conservation Center’s contribution on view.
Installation images from the opening:
Each custom frame we fabricated was designed entirely by Marshall and built precisely to his specifications. To achieve his vision, we worked with aluminum extrusions, cutting and assembling rails into the clean, minimal profiles he had designed. Each rail was finished with a catalyzed pigmented polyurethane topcoat in satin, applied over a direct-to-metal primer, with museum-quality finishing on every visible surface. Marshall approved a prototype before full production began, ensuring the details aligned with his expectations.
Click through or watch the process images below:
For installation, each painting was mounted from the back of its frame to maintain the pristine sightlines Marshall envisioned. Custom hardware, including Z-cleats set with threaded inserts, ensured stability, safe handling, and long-term durability. While these details remain unseen by gallery visitors, they guarantee that the frames match the precision, strength, and finish that Marshall required.
Watch a short video from the opening below:
Kerry James Marshall: The Histories is on view at the Royal Academy of Arts in London from September 20th, 2025 to January 18th, 2026.
Further reading:
The Guardian – “Kerry James Marshall review — astonishing visions of Black America” The Guardian
David Zwirner – Kerry James Marshall at the Royal Academy David Zwirner
ArtNews – “Kerry James Marshall’s Royal Academy exhibition features new paintings about African collaboration in the transatlantic slave trade” Art News
CultureType – “’Kerry James Marshall: The Histories,’ Largest-Ever UK Exhibition …” Culture Type
Artsy – “6 Unforgettable Works in Kerry James Marshall’s Major London Show” Artsy
The Art Newspaper – “Kerry James Marshall offers a fresh lesson in art history at his London retrospective” The Art Newspaper
