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Mickalene Thomas Art

American, b. 1971

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.

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Artist: Mickalene Thomas
Mickalene Thomas - Maya #10
Mickalene Thomas - Maya #10

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 ...

Category

2010s Feminist Mickalene Thomas Art

Materials

Pigment, Screen

MICKALENE THOMAS "UNTITLED" (BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL) USA, 2017
MICKALENE THOMAS "UNTITLED" (BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL) USA, 2017

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...

Category

2010s Contemporary Mickalene Thomas Art

Materials

Inkjet

Interior: Red Couch and Landscape
Interior: Red Couch and Landscape

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,...

Category

2010s Contemporary Mickalene Thomas Art

Materials

Varnish, Glitter, Archival Pigment, Screen

Mickalene Thomas Lovely Six Foota Signed Archival Print Limited Edition of 25
Mickalene Thomas Lovely Six Foota Signed Archival Print Limited Edition of 25

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...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Mickalene Thomas Art

Materials

Paper, Archival Pigment

Mickalene Thomas - Portrait de Priscilla Le Petit Chien official COA S/N Framed
Mickalene Thomas - Portrait de Priscilla Le Petit Chien official COA S/N Framed

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 ...

Category

2010s Realist Mickalene Thomas Art

Materials

Laid Paper, Permanent Marker, Digital Pigment

Screen Test
Screen Test

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,...

Category

2010s Contemporary Mickalene Thomas Art

Materials

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After Mickalene Thomas, Taste Outside of Love, Ink on Silk, 2025
After Mickalene Thomas, Taste Outside of Love, Ink on Silk, 2025

After Mickalene Thomas, Taste Outside of Love, Ink on Silk, 2025

By Mickalene Thomas

Located in Dubai, Dubai

After Mickalene Thomas Taste Outside of Love, 2025 Ink on silk with hand-rolled edges. 130 x 100 cm (51 x 39.3 inches). Created in a total edition of 250. Condition: Excellent.

Category

2010s Mickalene Thomas Art

Materials

Silk

Mickalene Thomas - October, 1950 - Contemporary Art, Artist Plate
Mickalene Thomas - October, 1950 - Contemporary Art, Artist Plate

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 ...

Category

2010s Contemporary Mickalene Thomas Art

Materials

Ceramic

Tiffona Lisa #2
Tiffona Lisa #2

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,...

Category

2010s Contemporary Mickalene Thomas Art

Materials

Ceramic

Portrait of a Lovely Six Foota #1
Portrait of a Lovely Six Foota #1

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...

Category

2010s Contemporary Mickalene Thomas Art

Materials

Archival Pigment

Kindred Spirits, Tamika and Qusuquzah Sitting on Couch

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 ...

Category

2010s Mickalene Thomas Art

Materials

Archival Pigment

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Previously Available Items
Portrait of Maya #10
Portrait of Maya #10

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,...

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2010s Contemporary Mickalene Thomas Art

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Varnish, Archival Pigment, Screen

Portrait of Maya #10, Contemporary Screen Print with Glitter, 2010+
Portrait of Maya #10, Contemporary Screen Print with Glitter, 2010+

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...

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Maya & Interior by Mickalene Thomas, 2024, limited edition
Maya & Interior by Mickalene Thomas, 2024, limited edition

Maya & Interior by Mickalene Thomas, 2024, limited edition

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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...

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Clarivel with Black Blouse and White Ribbon

Clarivel with Black Blouse and White Ribbon

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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...

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2010s Contemporary Mickalene Thomas Art

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When Ends Meet
When Ends Meet

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...

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Early 2000s Contemporary Mickalene Thomas Art

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Michelle O
Michelle O

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...

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Early 2000s Contemporary Mickalene Thomas Art

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Why Can't We Just Sit Down and Talk It Over?
Why Can't We Just Sit Down and Talk It Over?

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...

Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Mickalene Thomas Art

Materials

Screen

Portrait of a Lovely Six Foota #1
Portrait of a Lovely Six Foota #1

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...

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Early 2000s Contemporary Mickalene Thomas Art

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Giclée

Clarivel with Black Blouse and White Ribbon
Clarivel with Black Blouse and White Ribbon

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...

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2010s Contemporary Mickalene Thomas Art

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Inkjet

The High Priestess
The High Priestess

Mickalene ThomasThe High Priestess, 2010

Sold

H 20.2 in W 16.25 in D 1 in

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

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Portrait of Marie Sitting in Black and White
Portrait of Marie Sitting in Black and White

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...

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2010s Contemporary Mickalene Thomas Art

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I Have Been Good To Me
I Have Been Good To Me

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...

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2010s Contemporary Mickalene Thomas Art

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Clarivel with Black Blouse and White Ribbon

Clarivel with Black Blouse and White Ribbon

By Mickalene Thomas

Located in Brooklyn, NY

Artwork may be viewed at our warehouse in Brooklyn. Additional images and information are available upon request.

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2010s Contemporary Mickalene Thomas Art

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Interior: Blue Couch and Green Owl
Interior: Blue Couch and Green Owl

Interior: Blue Couch and Green Owl

By Mickalene Thomas

Located in New York, NY

2016, mixed media collage: screenprint, woodblock, digital print and flocking, 42 3/8 x 34 1/4 inches (107.6 x 87 cm), edition of 26, signed and numbered by the artist Based on collaged paintings the artists created in 2014, the work combines a multitude of processes and elements, including screenprint, woodblock, flocking and digital printing. Interior: Blue Couch and Green Owl...

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2010s Mickalene Thomas Art

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Mickalene Thomas art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Mickalene Thomas art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Mickalene Thomas in digital print, inkjet print, digital pigment print and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 21st century and contemporary and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large Mickalene Thomas art, so small editions measuring 11 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Ryan McGinley, Gregory Crewdson, and Catherine Opie. Mickalene Thomas art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $3,500 and tops out at $32,750, while the average work can sell for $6,750.

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