Sale 6383
| New York
| New York
Estimate$250,000 – $350,000
Provenance:
The Artist
Private Collection, United States
Lot essay:
“I like my women to be presented as very conscientious, very empowered, very charismatic – strong women who are aware of their environment and their experiences. I’m not making them do anything. It’s a collaborative effort because I’m taking the image, I’m photographing them, but they’re aware of me doing this with them. It’s not as though the artist is explaining the sitter.” - Mickalene Thomas
Mickalene Thomas’ portraiture has had a transformative impact on contemporary art history by redefining how Black women are represented and celebrated in visual culture at large. Drawing from art history, pop culture, and personal narrative, Thomas fuses elements of painting, collage, photography, and rhinestone embellishment to create images that radiate confidence, sensuality, and power. Indeed, her portraits challenge the Eurocentric canon by reimagining classical poses and compositions through a distinctly Black, female lens. In doing so, Thomas not only inserts Black women into the history of art but also reframes beauty, glamour, and identity as sites of self-definition rather than external judgment. Her work has reshaped conversations about representation and visibility, asserting that portraiture can be both a political act and a deeply personal affirmation of presence and pride.
Thomas' work is included in myriad private and public collections in the United States and worldwide, including The Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. A significant mid-career international retrospective was recently assembled for the artist, entitled All About Love, which explores themes of Black womanhood, identity, and empowerment through a multidisciplinary lens. The exhibition showcases over 90 works spanning two decades of Thomas' career, including paintings, collages, photographs, and installations. Co-organized by the Hayward Gallery, London, The Broad, Los Angeles, in partnership with the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia and Les Abattoirs – Musée-Frac Occitanie Toulouse, the exhibition firmly underscores Thomas as one of the most relevant artists living today.
Framed: 68 x 50 x 3 inches.
In natural oak frame, with studio label verso.
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