Earliest European portraits of African men on show together for first time

Rijksmuseum says change in focus prompted by renewed interest in wake of Black Lives Matter

The two earliest portraits of men of African descent in the history of European art are being exhibited together for the first time in their 500-year history, reflecting a change of focus championed by the Black Lives Matter movement, curators at the Rijksmuseum have said.

Among more than 100 portraits by Renaissance artists being showcased by the museum in Amsterdam from Tuesday are Albrecht Durer's 1508 sketch, discovered in the German painter's workshop at the time of his death, and Jan Jansz Mostaert's portrait, dating from about 1525.