Mickalene Thomas
Encyclopedia
New York-based artist Mickalene Thomas is known for her elaborate paintings adorned with rhinestones, enamel and colorful acrylics. She received her BFA from Pratt Institute
in 2000, and her MFA from Yale University
in 2002 and currently lives and works in New York
. Her depictions of African American women explore notions of black female celebrity and identity while romanticizing ideas of femininity and power. Reminiscent of 70s style Blaxploitation
, the subjects in Thomas' paintings radiate sexuality. Women in provocative poses sprawl across the picture plane and are surrounded by kitschy decorative patterns inspired by her childhood. Her portrait of Michelle Obama was the first individual portrait done of the First Lady and was exhibited in the National Portrait Gallery's Americans Now show.
Mickalene Thomas has had exhibitions at Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum, CA; Museum of Contemporary Art in Detroit; The Renaissance Society in Chicago; Dumbo Arts Center in Brooklyn Studio Museum in Harlem in New York; and P.S.1/MoMA in Long Island City, NY. Mickalene Thomas was an artist in residence at Yale/Norfolk and The Studio Museum in Harlem
. In 2011 She will be the artist in residence at The Versailles Foundation Munn Artists Program in Giverny, France. In 2010 She completed a special project for the Museum of Modern Art
entitled "Le Dejeuner Sur l'Herbe: Les Trois Femmes Noires", which was exhibited in the Modern Window of the museum and the lobby of MoMA PS1 as part of the On-Site series.
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
in 2000, and her MFA from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 2002 and currently lives and works in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Her depictions of African American women explore notions of black female celebrity and identity while romanticizing ideas of femininity and power. Reminiscent of 70s style Blaxploitation
Blaxploitation
Blaxploitation or blacksploitation is a film genre which emerged in the United States circa 1970. It is considered an ethnic sub-genre of the general category of exploitation films. Blaxploitation films were originally made specifically for an urban black audience, although the genre's audience...
, the subjects in Thomas' paintings radiate sexuality. Women in provocative poses sprawl across the picture plane and are surrounded by kitschy decorative patterns inspired by her childhood. Her portrait of Michelle Obama was the first individual portrait done of the First Lady and was exhibited in the National Portrait Gallery's Americans Now show.
Mickalene Thomas has had exhibitions at Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum, CA; Museum of Contemporary Art in Detroit; The Renaissance Society in Chicago; Dumbo Arts Center in Brooklyn Studio Museum in Harlem in New York; and P.S.1/MoMA in Long Island City, NY. Mickalene Thomas was an artist in residence at Yale/Norfolk and The Studio Museum in Harlem
Studio Museum in Harlem
The Studio Museum in Harlem is an American contemporary art museum in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, New York. It was founded in 1968 as the first such museum in the U.S. devoted to the art of African-Americans, specializing in 19th and 20th century work as well work of artists of...
. In 2011 She will be the artist in residence at The Versailles Foundation Munn Artists Program in Giverny, France. In 2010 She completed a special project for the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
entitled "Le Dejeuner Sur l'Herbe: Les Trois Femmes Noires", which was exhibited in the Modern Window of the museum and the lobby of MoMA PS1 as part of the On-Site series.