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Noah Davis

— ,Art Gallery
Noah Davis's painting titled Pueblo del Rio: Arabesque, depicting six ballerinas dancing on the lawn outside a housing project.

Celebrating the late artist’s expansive creativity, this debut retrospective showcases Noah Davis as one of the most original and uncanny painters emerging in recent years.

Primarily based in Los Angeles, Noah Davis created a body of figurative paintings that explores a range of Black life.

Motivated by the desire to ‘represent the people around me’, Davis painted figures diving into pools, sleeping, dancing, and looking at art in scenes that can be both realistic and dreamlike, joyful and melancholic. Davis drew from anonymous photography, personal archives, film, art history and his imagination to create a ravishing body of work. Often enigmatic, his paintings reveal a deep feeling for humanity and the emotional textures of the everyday.

In 2012, Davis co-founded The Underground Museum to give free access to world-class art for the people of Arlington Heights, LA. This exhibition presents over 50 of Davis’ works in painting, sculpture, curating and community-building from 2007 to his untimely death in 2015.

Tagged with: Art & design Noah Davis: Talks and events Spring 2025

Content note

This exhibition contains references to themes of racism, bereavement, illness and domestic violence. One work in the exhibition contains nudity. For guidance on where these are in the gallery, please speak to a member of staff.

Noah Davis is initiated by Barbican, London and DAS MINSK, Potsdam where it was on display 7 September 2024 – 5 January 2025. The exhibition will tour to the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles 8 June – 31 August 2025 and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2026.

This exhibition is generously supported by Clore Wyndham, part of the Noah Davis Exhibition Circle.

Opening hours

Sat-Sun 10am - 6pm
Mon Closed
Tue-Wed 10am - 6pm
Thu-Fri 10am - 8pm*
Bank Holiday (18 April) 12 - 8pm
Bank Holiday (21 April) Closed

*From 5-8pm on Thursdays, entry to the gallery is Pay What You Can

Fri 21 Mar: closes at 5pm

Ticket prices

Membership Plus
Free entry + guest

Membership
Free entry

Become a Member

To book members tickets, first log in to your account and then when booking select 'standard tickets'. Your discount will apply on the confirmation page. 

Corporate Membership
Free entry

Become a Corporate Member

Subject to availability.

Our PWYC visits take place every Thursday from 5 – 8pm (last entry is 7pm).

Select the price you can pay and enjoy the exhibition. If you're able to pay £18, you'll be helping to support our Visual Arts programme.

£3

£6

£9

£12

£15

£18

Universal & Pension Credit: £13

Students: £13

Art Fund Members: £9

Under 14s: Free

Discounts are subject to availability. They cannot be combined to make greater savings.

In purchasing concession tickets, you agree that they will only be used by a person with those needs. Please bring proof of discount status where possible.

Schools, Colleges and Universities:

Up to Year 9: free

Above Year 9: £3 / student*

*when visiting in formal education groups of 10 or more, up to the age of 19.

To book to bring your class, please contact groups@barbican.org.uk

*Excludes £1.50 booking fee
‘A spellbinding, spine-tingling, expertly marshalled new retrospective‘
The Telegraph
‘He created an uncanny universe that both represented and elevated black contemporary life‘
The Times
‘Thrilling strangeness from a painter brimming with ideas and adventure‘
The Guardian
‘The dreamlike work of Noah Davis ... radiates deep humanity in this beautiful retrospective‘
The Observer
‘A mesmerising, heartbreaking retrospective‘
Financial Times

Liminal Chords: A Dreamscape in Verse & Sound

Wed 23 Apr, Art Gallery

£20

Poet and sound artist MA.MOYO (Belinda Zhawi) and friends, Roxanne Tataei and Marysia Osu, respond to the radical work of Noah Davis through poetry, vocal textures, and music.

This event takes place for one hour straight through without interval. Ticket holders for this event can browse the Noah Davis exhibition for up to one hour after the performance as part of their ticket.

Click here to find out more.
 

Audio Guide

A man and a woman stand in front of a large painting depicting people lounging on the grass next to a large body of water.

Your Audio Guide

Listen to our free exhibition tour on your mobile in the gallery or at home anytime. 

Let our curators introduce some of the key artworks, and hear readings by artists and creatives who worked with Noah Davis or have been inspired by his work.

Listen

Watch and listen

A black and white photo of Noah Davis painting in his studio

Podcast: The Sound of Noah Davis

DAS MINSK presents The Sound of Noah Davis, with Helen Molesworth, Tina M Campt, Jason Moran, and Paola Malavassi. Listen as they discuss Noah Davis, the sounds he left behind, and the ones imagined, while looking at his paintings.

Listen on Spotify

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Pay What You Can

Every Thursday from 5–8pm, entry to Noah Davis is priced Pay What You Can.

Simply pick the price you can pay and enjoy the exhibition. If you're able to pay £18, you'll be helping to support our Visual Arts programme at the Barbican.

Want to see more art for free? Become a member today.

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Access

During the run of Noah Davis, we have a variety of access resources and information to help support your visit.

If you have any access requirements that you would like to discuss ahead of your visit, please email access@barbican.org.uk or call 020 7101 1188 (Mon - Sun 10am-4pm).

Wheelchair Access

Noah Davis is accessible by the Main Centre Lifts to Level 3. There is a passenger lift (107 x 140cm) inside the gallery to access the upper level.

BSL, Audio Described & Relaxed Views

Accessible Events | Barbican

Audio Guide

You can listen to a free exhibition tour on your mobile in the gallery, or at home anytime. Listen now.

Visual Story

A visual story of The Gallery can be requested here under the Visual Stories section.

Communication Cards – Pre planning your journey

We have communication cards to help you find your way around the building. We have digital copies you can access and/or print at home as well as printed copies in the Centre available at our info desk on Level G. Please ask a member of staff if you need support locating your nearest pack.

Large Print Exhibition Text

We have large print guides of our exhibition text. These are available both digitally and printed. You can collect a printed version from our invigilator desk at the entrance of The Gallery.

Art Gallery