'There is really nothing left for us kings except money.'

by Jen GravesThis painting, titled The Nineties and made in 1991 by the Congolese artist Chéri Samba, is up at Seattle Art Museum. Courtesy of SAM
I'm working on a story about a small exhibition, featuring only 10 objects, near the entrance to the Kehinde Wiley exhibition at Seattle Art Museum. This little show is called Emblems of Encounter: Europe and Africa Over 500 Years, and it includes the painting above.
The Congolese artist Chéri Samba depicts a corrupt African ruler with a