Although she’s best known for her vibrant and textural collage portraits of Black women, contemporary artist Mickalene Thomas is in fact a master of many mediums, including photography, video, sculpture and printmaking. Born in Camden, New Jersey, and raised by her mother, a fashion model, Thomas enrolled in after-school art classes at the Newark Museum of Art in Newark, New Jersey, and the Henry Street Settlement in New York City as a child. Later, she would earn fine art degrees from Pratt Institute and Yale University.
Inspired in part by her strong, matriarchal upbringing and her own identity as a queer Black woman, Thomas focuses on female power, beauty and sexuality in her works. She cites a 1990s-era exhibition of Carrie Mae Weems’s work at the Portland Art Museum in Oregon as being critically important to her becoming an artist. In her work, Thomas commonly pulls from the art history canon, riffing frequently on the styles and compositions of early modernists such as Gustave Courbet, Édouard Manet and Henri Matisse, as well as more contemporary artists like Romare Bearden and David Hockney. She recontextualizes their paintings by restaging them with Black subjects, using signature materials like rhinestones, enamel and acrylic paint to profound effect. Relatedly, for a collaboration with Dior, Thomas reinvented the house’s iconic Bar jacket and Lady Dior handbag to become, essentially, wearable Claude Monet landscapes.
Thomas also investigates the idea of Black celebrity in her work, painting portraits of such Black icons as Whitney Houston, Oprah Winfrey and Eartha Kitt. In 2008, Thomas painted the first individual silkscreen portrait of then–First Lady Michelle Obama, which was exhibited for the first time in the National Portrait Gallery’s “Americans Now” show.
Thomas’s work can be found in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Brooklyn Museum of Art, among others. She has received such accolades as the Timerhi Award for Leadership in the Arts in 2010, the Brooklyn Museum Asher B. Durand Award in 2012 and the Anonymous Was a Woman Award in 2013. In 2015, Thomas was named a USA Francie Bishop Good & David Horvitz Fellow.
Find Mickalene Thomas’s art on 1stDibs today.
Interior: Red Couch and Landscape
By Mickalene Thomas
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Mickalene Thomas (b.1971) is an American artist exploring the intersection of popular culture and art history, through a contemporary Black female gaze. As an openly gay Black woman,...
Varnish, Glitter, Archival Pigment, Screen
Mickalene Thomas, Portrait de Priscilla Le Petit Chien official COA S/N, Framed
By Mickalene Thomas
Located in New York, NY
Mickalene Thomas Portrait de Priscilla Le Petit Chien, 2012 Pigment print on 100% cotton rag paper Edition 141/150 Frame included with official COA affixed to the back Hand numbered ...
Laid Paper, Permanent Marker, Digital Pigment
Mickalene Thomas - Maya #10
By Mickalene Thomas
Located in London, GB
Maya, 2024 UV pigment print on 410gsm Somerset Tub Sized Radiant White paper with 4 metallic silkscreen glitter and shimmer layers, a CMYK silkscreen central panel and matte varnish ...
Pigment, Screen
$2,405Sale Price|20% Off
Maya & Interior by Mickalene Thomas, 2024, limited edition
By Mickalene Thomas
Located in Zug, CH
Mickalene Thomas Maya & Interior 2024 UV pigment print on 410gsm Somerset Tub Sized Radiant White paper with 4 metallic silkscreen glitter and shimmer layers, a CMYK silkscreen centr...
Silk, Color, Pigment
MICKALENE THOMAS "UNTITLED" (BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL) USA, 2017
By Mickalene Thomas
Located in Pembroke Pines, FL
Mickalene Thomas "Untitled" (Black is Beautiful) USA, 2017 Inkjet print Signed and numbered by the artist From an edition of 100 14"H 11"W (work) Framed Approx: 22"H x 17"W Excellent...
Inkjet
Mickalene Thomas - 2 x Artist Plates - Contemporary Art, Artist Plate
By Mickalene Thomas
Located in London, GB
Fine Bone China Edition of 250 Printed signature and edition details on verso comes with the original presentation box. Mickalene Thomas, born in 1971 in Camden, New Jersey, is a ce...
Ceramic
$1,200 / item
Lena Blanket or Throw by Mickalene Thomas
By Mickalene Thomas
Located in Jersey City, NJ
This wool and cotton blanket by celebrated artist Mickalene Thomas fits a queen or king, or is fantastic has a wall hanging. Produced in collaboration with Pendleton Mills, this l...
Wool, Cotton
Portrait of a Lovely Six Foota #1
By Mickalene Thomas
Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Mickalene Thomas Portrait of a Lovely Six Foota #1, 2009, (24/50 + 5 AP) Archival Pigment Print 14 x 11 in Published by The Lapis Press, to benefit the Institute of Contemporary Art...
Archival Pigment
Mickalene Thomas Left Behind, 2021
By Mickalene Thomas
Located in New York, NY
The new exclusive series of limited edition collages by acclaimed American artist Mickalene Thomas comes in two series of 10 unique collage prints. Phaidon, Artspace, and Avant Arte...
Paper
$11,000
Mickalene Thomas Lovely Six Foota Signed Archival Print Limited Edition of 25
By Mickalene Thomas
Located in Minneapolis, MN
Artist: Mickalene Thomas Title: Lovely Six Foota Medium: Archival Pigment Print on Wove Paper Size: 16.125" x 20" Edition: 3/25 Inscription: Signed, titled, dated and numbered on ver...
Paper, Archival Pigment
Mickalene Thomas - October, 1950 - Contemporary Art, Artist Plate
By Mickalene Thomas
Located in London, GB
'October, 1950' by Mickalene Thomas - Artist Plate Fine Bone China Edition of 250 Printed signature and edition details on verso comes with the original presentation box. Mickalene ...
Ceramic
Lena Blanket or Throw by Mickalene Thomas
By Mickalene Thomas
Located in Jersey City, NJ
This wool and cotton blanket by celebrated artist Mickalene Thomas fits a queen or king, or is fantastic has a wall hanging. Produced in collaboration with Pendleton Mills, this lim...
Suede, Wool, Cotton
$18,750Sale Price|25% Off
Jet Blue in Landscape
By Mickalene Thomas
Located in New Canaan, CT
This edition was created specifically for The Glass House Art Editions Program. Every artwork purchased contributes to preservation projects on site and allows us to provide engaging...
Enamel, Steel
Screen Test
By Mickalene Thomas
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Mickalene Thomas (b.1971) is an American artist exploring the intersection of popular culture and art history, through a contemporary Black female gaze. As an openly gay Black woman,...
Screen
Tiffona Lisa #2
By Mickalene Thomas
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Mickalene Thomas (b.1971) is an American artist exploring the intersection of popular culture and art history, through a contemporary Black female gaze. As an openly gay Black woman,...
Ceramic
Price Upon Request
Kindred Spirits, Tamika and Qusuquzah Sitting on Couch
By Mickalene Thomas
Located in New York, NY
Multidisciplinary artist Mickalene Thomas’ portraits critically deconstruct accepted definitions of beauty, race, and gender, specifically in relation to black women. Known for her ...
Archival Pigment
Price Upon Request
Hot! Wild! Unrestricted!
By Mickalene Thomas
Located in New York, NY
C-Print 24 x 30 inches
$20,000
H 5.75 in W 8.5 in D 8.5 in
TRIBAL BIRD DRAWING ON JAR (INV# NP5076) by Magdalena and Michael Frimkess
By Magdalena and Michael Frimkess
Located in Morton Grove, IL
RARE TRIBAL BIRD DRAWING ON JAR (INV# NP5076) MAGDALENA SUAREZ FRIMKESS & MICHAEL FRIMKESS stoneware and glaze 5.75 x 8.5 x 8.5” 1997 signed by artist pro...
Ceramic, Stoneware, Glaze, ABS
Nine of Coins
By Kehinde Wiley
Located in Saint Louis, MO
Kehinde Wiley Nine of Coins, 2010 Archival inkjet print Framed Dimensions: 20.19 x 16.25 x 1 inches (51.27 x 41.27 x 2.54 cm) Edition AP 2/3, apart from the edition of 7
Archival Ink, Inkjet
$4,250
H 17 in W 28 in D 3 in
Contemporary Porcelain Wall Sculpture Installation “Bloom”
By Element Clay Studio
Located in Savannah, GA
“Bloom” is a contemporary porcelain wall sculpture installation by Heather Knight, founder of Element Clay Studio, a Savannah-based studio recognized for organic modern ceramic works...
Ceramic, Porcelain
Between The Late And The Early
Located in London, GB
The original artwork and this giclée reproduction were created by Andrew Cranston RSA (Elect) for the 187th RSA Annual Exhibition in 2013. Against a flat black background evoking the...
Giclée
Rare Ginger Jar
By Magdalena and Michael Frimkess
Located in Morton Grove, IL
Michael and Magdalena Suarez Frimkess Ginger jar c. 1997 glazed earthenware 6½ h × 4½ dia in (17 × 11 cm) signed and stamped on the bottom with "MF"
Ceramic, Stoneware
"House of Cards"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
House of Cards is a narrative silk print by Natalia Kolpakova, depicting an impossible card-built architecture containing a central pool where a relaxed figure drifts in orbit of kin...
Silk
"Valkiria over Burrs"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Valkyria Over Burrs is a fantastical silk print by Natalia Kolpakova, portraying monkeys cavorting amid burrs and branches under a soaring Valkyrie in a vivid jungle canopy. A poetic...
Silk
$2,253
H 27.56 in W 27.56 in
Victor Vasarely, Untitled - Signed Print from 1966, Op-Art, Abstract Geometric
By Victor Vasarely
Located in Hamburg, DE
Victor Vasarely (Hungarian-French, 1906-1997) Untitled, ca. 1966 Medium: Screen print on card Dimensions: 27 3/5 × 27 3/5 in (70 × 70 cm) Edition of 100: Hand-signed in pencil, not n...
Screen
Werner Bronkhorst - Ride Me Crazy - Surfing
Located in London, GB
Ride Me Crazy Giclée print on heavyweight 395gsm matte Canson Infinity PhotoArt ProCanvas, made with long-lasting Epson archival inks. Hand-stretched over FSC-certified, finger-joint...
Canvas, Giclée
"Music of wind"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Music of the Wind is a surrealist silk print by Natalia Kolpakova, portraying a wind-warped cityscape where serpents, faces, wings, and swirling forms animate architecture in a dance...
Silk
"Sea Horse (Hippocampus)"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Sea Horse (Hippocampus) is a fine-art silk print by Natalia Kolpakova, depicting a monumental seahorse-shell transformed into an inhabited Trojan vessel. Combining surrealist archite...
Silk
Six of the Best - Cricket
Located in London, GB
Werner Bronkhorst Six of the Best, 2026 Giclée print on heavyweight 395gsm matte Canson Infinity PhotoArt ProCanvas, made with long-lasting Epson archival inks. Hand-stretched over F...
Giclée
Portrait of Maya #10
By Mickalene Thomas
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Mickalene Thomas (b.1971) is an American artist exploring the intersection of popular culture and art history, through a contemporary Black female gaze. As an openly gay Black woman,...
Varnish, Archival Pigment, Screen
Sold
H 23.35 in W 20.67 in
Portrait of Maya #10, Contemporary Screen Print with Glitter, 2010+
By Mickalene Thomas
Located in Zug, CH
The unapologetic Portrait of Maya #10 (2024), originally conceived as a monumental 8-foot-tall artwork as part of the Broad Collection 2017, is a bold celebration of love and sexuali...
Varnish, Screen, Digital Pigment, Glitter
Clarivel with Black Blouse and White Ribbon
By Mickalene Thomas
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Hand signed, dated and numbered out of 25 by Thomas in pencil on the reverse of the print. The edition is based on a collage of the same name that was featured in the artist's acclai...
Giclée
When Ends Meet
By Mickalene Thomas
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Mickalene Thomas (b.1971) is an American artist exploring the intersection of popular culture and art history, through a contemporary Black female gaze. As an openly gay Black woman, sexuality and race are essential themes in Thomas' practice. Thomas frequently creates elaborate and intricate portraits of black women...
Mixed Media, Screen
Michelle O
By Mickalene Thomas
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Mickalene Thomas (b.1971) is an American artist exploring the intersection of popular culture and art history, through a contemporary Black female gaze. As an openly gay Black woman, sexuality and race are essential themes in Thomas' practice. This print is outside the edition of 40 inscribed ‘project proof’ and numbered 4/4. Looks authentic. Published by Brand X Projects. Thomas frequently creates portraits of black women...
Screen
Why Can't We Just Sit Down and Talk It Over?
By Mickalene Thomas
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Mickalene Thomas (b.1971) is a renowned artist exploring the intersection of popular culture and art history, through a contemporary Black female gaze. She studied at the Pratt Institute, and earned her MFA from Yale. As an openly gay Black woman, sexuality and race are essential elements of Thomas' practice. Thomas primary focus is portraits of black women. Her works are instantly recognizable featuring bold textures, patterns and colors. Thomas' subjects radiate beauty and confidence, further enhanced by the abundance of colorful textures and patterns surrounding them. Their hair is typically natural, and their bodies are often exposed or informal. They lounge, or pose, as women in art history have done for centuries. Only this time, it's Black women being celebrated for their culture and beauty. Visual references to Blaxploitation, Pop Art, Cubism, Dadaism, and even Renaissance art appear in her work. Her subjects, or muses, emanate an air of ease in their skin. Their gaze is usually directed towards the viewer, challenging the white male gaze and defying racial stereotypes of subservience and objectification. This colorful and multi-faceted work "Why Can't We Just Sit Down and Talk It Over?" is a stunning example of Thomas' practice. Created in her signature mixed-media collage style, this screenprint features a poised and beautiful Black woman...
Screen
Portrait of a Lovely Six Foota #1
By Mickalene Thomas
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Mickalene Thomas (b.1971) is an American artist exploring the intersection of popular culture and art history, through a contemporary Black female gaze. As an openly gay Black woman, sexuality and race are essential themes in Thomas' practice. "Portrait of a Lovely...
Giclée
Clarivel with Black Blouse and White Ribbon
By Mickalene Thomas
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Mickalene Thomas (b.1971) is an American artist exploring the intersection of popular culture and art history, through a contemporary Black female gaze. As an openly gay Black woman, sexuality and race are essential themes in Thomas' practice. Thomas' frequently creates portraits of black women...
Inkjet
The High Priestess
By Mickalene Thomas
Located in Saint Louis, MO
The High Priestess, 2010 Archival inkjet print Framed Dimensions: 20.19 x 16.25 x 1 inches (51.27 x 41.27 x 2.54 cm) Edition of 7, 2/3 AP
Archival Ink, Inkjet
Portrait of Marie Sitting in Black and White
By Mickalene Thomas
Located in Toronto, Ontario
This work, a black and white photo, is somewhat of an anomaly in Thomas' oeuvre. However "Marie" is surrounded by Thomas' signature background of fabrics in varying textures and patt...
Photogravure
I Have Been Good To Me
By Mickalene Thomas
Located in Toronto, Ontario
I Have Been Good to Me, 2015 Screenprint, monoprint, silica flocking, wood veneer and digital printing in colors, on museum board, with full margins. I. 51 1/2 x 40 1/4 in. (130.8 x 102.2 cm) S. 56 1/2 x 45 in. (143.5 x 114.3 cm) Signed, dated and numbered out of 20 in pencil, published by Benefit Print Project, New York, unframed. This colorful and multi-faceted work is a stunning example of Thomas' practice. Created in Thomas' signature mixed-media collage style, this work features a poised and beautiful African-American woman serenely surrounded by various textures, colors, and objects. The subject is coiffed, confident, and glamorous in a flared open dress showcasing her gleaming legs and sexy high-heels. The interior elements seem to hint at domesticated nature: leopard print pillows, crocodile upholstered chairs, a white cat statue...
Digital, Monoprint, Screen
Sold
H 56.5 in W 45 in
Mickalene Thomas-I've Been Good To Me-56.5" x 45"-Mixed Media-2015-Contemporary
By Mickalene Thomas
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Mixed media collage with silkscreen, mono and digital printing, leopard print paper, wood veneer, and silica flocking. Printed at Brand X, published by Benefit Print Project. Hand si...
Mixed Media