Mickalene Thomas (she/her) was born in 1971 in New Jersey and currently resides and works in New York City as an interdisciplinary artist renowned for her intricate portrayals of Black femininity, sexuality, and beauty. Additionally, she serves as a curator, educator, and mentor to numerous emerging artists. Raised by her mother, Sandra Bush, a fashion model in the 1970s, Thomas and her brother were immersed in a creatively nurturing environment, with their mother enrolling them in after-school art programs.

During her formative years in Portland, Oregon, from the mid-1980s to the early '90s, Thomas pursued studies in pre-law and Theater Arts. Her decision to relocate far away stemmed from familial issues, including parental substance abuse, and her journey of self-acceptance as a queer individual.

*Lounging, Standing, Looking*, 2003, Triptych Photograph

Thomas' artistic journey began with a strong influence from the world of fashion. She earned her BFA from Pratt Institute in 2000 and her MFA from Yale School of Art in 2002. Notably, from 2000 to 2003, she participated in the residency program at the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York.

Early in her career, Thomas found inspiration in the works of Carrie Mae Weems, particularly her ‘Kitchen Table’ series, which resonated deeply with themes of family dynamics, gender, and sexuality. Additionally, she acknowledges the profound influence of Faith Ringgold on her artistic trajectory.

In her collage work, Thomas juxtaposes photographic depictions of Black women with colorful and textural papers, often adorned with rhinestones. These images draw from and are inspired by the Blaxploitation sub-genre, which emerged in the early 1970s as a response to the civil rights movement, the Black Power movement, and the Black Panthers, empowering Black artists to reclaim control over their representation.

Thomas' artistic repertoire extends beyond college to encompass studies in art and social history, portrait painting, landscape painting, and still lives. Her work is heavily influenced by renowned painters such as Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Édouard Manet, as she adopts classical poses and abstract settings to assert agency for women historically depicted as objects of desire.

*Tell Me What You’re Thinking*, 2016, Photograph

Central to Thomas' works are her depictions of Black women, offering agency and representation to a demographic often marginalized within the art canon. Her subjects frequently confront the viewer's gaze, challenging traditional notions of representation and reclaiming their visibility. Through the use of rhinestones as embellishments, Thomas subverts conventional notions of femininity, particularly Black femininity, blurring the boundaries between reality and imagination, definite and conceptual, object and subject.

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(Left to Right) Hot, Wild, Unrestricted, 2009, Photograph, Portrait of Lili In Color, 2008, Photograph, Everyone Loves Kalena, 2016, Photograph, Madame Mama Bush, 2006, Photograph

Notably, Thomas' work foregrounds queer identity, reflecting her own experiences as a queer woman of color. By emphasizing the agency and erotic beauty of her subjects, she empowers them, presenting them as resilient individuals who command attention and subvert the traditional dominance of the male gaze in art and visual culture. The sitters possess the control and power of the gaze, subverting the traditional dominance of the male gaze in art and visual culture, particularly when the exchange occurs between women.

Thomas' mother, affectionately known as "Mama Bush," has been a significant influence and muse throughout her artistic journey. A former runway model, Mama Bush's charisma and confidence inspired Thomas' appreciation for the beauty and glamor of Black femininity. Despite Mama Bush's later battle with kidney disease, Thomas continued to depict her, capturing her essence in the 2012 film 'Happy Birthday to a Beautiful Woman,' which offers a poignant exploration of beauty and femininity in the face of aging and illness.

*Happy Birthday to a Beautiful Woman*, 2014, George Eastman House, Rochester, NY

Throughout her career, Thomas has challenged conventional notions of artistry, experimenting with installations, sculpture, and performance art. Her upcoming exhibition at The Broad Museum in Los Angeles, titled 'Mickalene Thomas: All About Love,' featuring 80 works spanning two decades, underscores her ongoing impact and refusal to be confined by traditional artistic labels. As Thomas aptly notes, her career is still evolving, with much more mistakes and creativity yet to come.

Mickalene's website

Bibliography

"Mickalene Thomas." Lehmann Maupin. https://www.lehmannmaupin.com/artists/mickalene-thomas.

"Mickalene Thomas." Mickalene Thomas. http://mickalenethomas.com/.

Rosenberg, Karen . "Mickalene Thomas Rediscovers Her Mother — And Her Muse." The New York Times Magazine, September 27, 2012. https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/30/magazine/mickalene-thomas-rediscovers-her-mother-and-her-muse.html.

Pogrebin, Robin . "Mickalene Thomas Takes Los Angeles." New York Times, May 26, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/26/arts/design/mickalene-thomas-broad-museum-los-angeles.html.

Wikipedia. 2024. "Mickalene Thomas." Wikimedia Foundation. Last modified May 17, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mickalene_Thomas.

Upchurch, Michael . "Mother as Muse in a Powerful Show of Black Beauty." Cascade PBS. July 23, 2018. https://crosscut.com/2018/07/mother-muse-powerful-show-black-beauty.