Achievements: Her work is exhibited nationally and internationally and she has held several residencies, including the Versailles Munn Artists Program in Giverny, France. Thomas’ work can be found in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, the Smithsonian Museum of American Art in Washington, D.C., and the Baltimore Museum of Art, among others. Thomas was also honored with creating the first individual portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama, completed in 2008. She collaborated with fashion company Dior in 2019. Highest Sold Work: A painting of model Naomi Campbell sold at Sotheby’s for $700,000 in 2019. | About the Artist: Thomas earned her BFA in painting from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, and her MFA in painting from Yale University. About the Artwork: Thomas is best known for her elaborate, collage-inspired paintings, embellished with rhinestones, enamel, and colorful acrylics. Her depictions of African American women explore a spectrum of black female beauty. She is inspired by art history as well as popular culture. She uses rhinestones not simply as bling but rather as a 21st-century version of older techniques, such as the neo-impressionist painters' use of pointillism or the Pop artists' dots, to create a delicate, mosaic-like texture. Her first Dior handbag design was such a success in 2019, she was asked to create a second one in 2020. To go with the second bag, Thomas designed a shimmering metallic skirt and an updated edition of the classic Dior Bar Jacket that features embroidery, beading, and crocheted fabric on the sleeves and the back. |
Sources:
https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/mickalene_thomas/
https://nmwa.org/art/artists/mickalene-thomas/
https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/mickalene_thomas/
https://nmwa.org/art/artists/mickalene-thomas/