Mickalene Thomas

(American, born 1971)

Mickalene Thomas is a contemporary American artist best known for her depictions of African-American women and celebrities through collages of acrylic, enamel, and rhinestones. Often based in photography, Thomas’ practice utilizes both the aesthetics of Western painting and the heavily sexualized blaxploitation films of the 1970s. Through appropriated imagery the artist addresses issues of femininity, race, and beauty alongside personal histories and childhood memories, citing artists such as Carrie Mae Weems and Romare Bearden as early influences. She also notably painted the first individual portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama, which was subsequently displayed at the National Portrait Gallery. Born on January 28, 1971 in Camden, NJ, she went on to attend the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and later received her MFA at the Yale School of Art in 2002. 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. She lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.