Decolonial practices around “Portrait of a Man in a Red Suit” (formerly “Portrait of an African”), in the Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM), Exeter

Abstract

Recently renamed, the Portrait of a Man in a Red Suit, in the RAMM (Exeter) collection, is a rare example from the 18th century of an autonomous portrait of a Black sitter. This essay charts a 5-year history of debates between 2018-2023, before, during and after an exhibition: In Plain Sight: Transatlantic Slavery and Devon (2022) where the portrait played a central role. RAMM, which connected with other institutions through a series of loans of the portrait, is one of many European and American museums and galleries who are engaging with the legacy of transatlantic slavery. The case of the RAMM portrait allows reflection on decolonizing practices and methodologies, and on the challenges and opportunities for scholars and curators to reframe old paradigms: rethinking evidence, the function of identities in portraiture and the way exhibitions are conceived and staged. The lack of a known sitter enhances the portrait’s symbolic function to link with the past, to mediate for the voiceless and shape ongoing present debates, but also runs the risk of tokenism.