Mickalene Thomas
(American, b. 1971)
Afro Goddess with Hand Between Legs, 2006
Chromogenic print
48 x 60 inches
On loan from the Collection of Moses Luski
Mickalene Thomas’s works draw on art history, blaxploitation films, and popular magazines such as Ebony and Jet, to create powerful, confident, photographic or mixed-media portraits of Black women.
In Afro Goddess with Hand Between Legs, Thomas finds inspiration in the reclining poses of odalisques (concubines) from Western art, including Manet’s Olympia and Titian’s Venus of Urbino. Thomas’s model is situated within the artist’s studio tableau reconstructed amid overlapping patterns and textures, including wood paneling, a leopard-print rug, jewel-toned clothing, and various other textures, inspired by Malian photographer Malick Sidibé. Though Thomas’s odalisque exudes sexuality despite being clothed, she reclaims her prowess and gaze.
When Ends Meet (Oprah Winfrey), 2008
When Ends Meet (Condoleezza Rice), 2008
Diptych, screenprint with hand-applied rhinestones on four-ply museum board
23 1/2 x 19 3/4 inches each
On loan from President Carol Quillen and George McLendon
Mickalene Thomas is best known for works like this diptych – glamorous portraits of Black women featuring rhinestone-embellished surfaces. The subjects, Oprah Winfrey and Condoleezza Rice, could not be more different. Winfrey is a staunch Democrat who made the Forbes World’s Billionaires List for wealth accumulated through her work in entertainment, film, and media. Rice is an academic who worked in politics and foreign affairs for Republican presidents. Winfrey’s infectious smile and vivacious personality have transformed her into America’s best friend and therapist while Rice is known for her serious demeanor. Both, however, are Black women who overcame adversity to achieve great success and influence in fields typically dominated by white men. Thomas’s up-close portraits of these two women represent a deliberate shift away from stereotypical images that often sexualize the Black female body.
Biography
Thomas holds a BFA from Pratt Institute (2000) and an MFA from Yale University (2002). Her work has been shown in solo exhibitions at the Bass Museum of Art (2019), Baltimore Museum of Art (2019), Wexner Center for the Arts (2018), Georgia Museum of Art (2017), Brooklyn Museum (2012-13), Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo (2011), and La Conservera Contemporary Art Centre, Ceuti, Spain (2009), among others. Her work has also been featured in group exhibitions across the US and abroad and can be seen in numerous international public and private collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the Art Institute of Chicago. Thomas has received prizes and grants from the USA Francie Bishop Good & David Horvitz Fellowship (2015), Anonymous Was A Woman Foundation (2013), Brooklyn Museum Asher B. Durand Award (2012), and the Timerhi Award for Leadership in the Arts (2010). Thomas lives and works in Brooklyn.
