Mickalene Thomas: All About Love

Details

New York–based artist Mickalene Thomas’ critically acclaimed and extensive body of work spans painting, collage, print, photography, video and immersive installations. With influences ranging from 19th-century painting to popular culture, Thomas’ art articulates a complex and empowering vision of womanhood while expanding on and upending common definitions of beauty, sexuality, celebrity and politics. This major publication further affirms Thomas’ status as a key figure of contemporary art. It features notable works that are arranged in thematic chapters throughout the book. The book also features an interview with the artist by Rachel Thomas, and is followed by essays from Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Darnell L. Moore, Claudia Rankine, Ed Schad, Renée Mussai and Christine Y. Kim, which cover her distinct visual vocabulary, drawing on themes of intergenerational female empowerment, autobiography, memory and tenets of Black feminist theory. In particular, they explore how Thomas subverts art history to reclaim the notions of repose, rest and leisure in works that celebrate self-expression and joy. For the artist, repose is a radical act, pointing to "what is able to happen once you have the agency."

Editors' Note

Mickalene Thomas is one of the most influential artists today. Her innovative practice has yielded instantly recognizable and widely celebrated aesthetic languages within contemporary visual culture. Her masterful mixed-media paintings, photographs, films and installations dissect the intersecting complexities of Black and female identity within the Western canon. Outside of her core practice, Thomas is a Tony Awards nominated co-producer, curator, educator and mentor to emerging artists. While embarking on her own monumental solo shows, she simultaneously curates exhibitions at galleries and museums. In 2008, Thomas made the first individual portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama, which was exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery.