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Mickalene Thomas Photography

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.

Find Mickalene Thomas’s art on 1stDibs today.

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Artist: Mickalene Thomas
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 Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Hot! Wild! Unrestricted!
By Mickalene Thomas
Located in New York, NY
C-Print 24 x 30 inches
Category

Early 2000s Mickalene Thomas Photography

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Steven Tyler / Johnny Depp on stage by Zack Whitford
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Limited edition graphic on Archival Canson Platine Fibre Rag paper. Signed and numbered by the artist. Edition size: 25 16" x 20" Print Please inquire for framing options BIO...
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"Christian & Nathan Fletcher", Islamorada, Florida, 1995
By Lynda Churilla
Located in Hudson, NY
Listing is for UNFRAMED print. Inquire within for framing. Edition 1 of 10. If the exhibition piece is sold or the customer orders a different print size, the photograph is produced upon purchase. Please allow two weeks for production. Shipping time depends on method of shipping. Price is subject to availability. The Robin Rice Gallery reserves the right to adjust this price depending on the current edition of the photograph. In her new exhibition Churilla draws from her years spent as a swimmer, lifeguard, and athlete to capture the forgotten freedom and exuberance of days of youth spent on the water. Viva la Vida is a mix of timeless portraits and candid photographs "I’ve always been drawn to the water- now my art, my sense of athleticism, freedom and oasis have merged in a way", says Churilla. Her nod to iconic photographers from the past, such as Edward Weston, and Herbert List, is apparent in her portrait work. In another Christian & Nathan Fletcher is in the midst of a surf crusade off the coast of Islamorada, Florida. Christian pioneered a new revolution in surfing style with his aerial techniques. The artist’s genuine connection to her subjects allows the viewer to forget the presence of a camera and to be drawn into the personal narrative. The invitational image Longboard Afternoon, taken at Ditch Plains, Montauk, focuses on the portrayal of the atmosphere rather than the individual subjects. With a 70’s feel the viewer is intrigued by the layers of life, activity and parallel moments shared by silhouettes of surfers carrying longboards at hazy days end. One such image, Gustavo, depicts a male figure seated poolside with head bowed. The pose and the wet sheen to his hair and skin give the subject a classic, sculptural look. All the photographs exhibited in are in various sizes are printed on heavy weight cotton paper with the traditional glossy baryta surface in rich tones of black and white. Her artist mother, Barbara Churilla, involved her in creating art, sculpture, painting and photography from an early age. She was raised in Princeton, New Jersey. She graduated from School of Visual Arts in NYC with a BFA in Photography. Lynda began her photo assisting career with legendary photographer Bruce Weber. Over a period of almost a decade she traveled the world with Weber learning not only knowledge of photography, but also life. Eventually becoming his trusted first assistant before embarking on her own photography adventure. Churilla’s work has been celebrated in American Photo, where she was heralded as one of the young visionaries of 21st century. She has photographed numerous celebrities, such as Cameron Diaz, Jewel, Olivier Martinez, Coldplay, Pet Shop Boys...
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1990s Contemporary Mickalene Thomas Photography

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Sherlock #1
By Kevin Horan
Located in Denton, TX
Edition of 8 Signed, titled, dated, numbered and copyright. Kevin Horan is a photographer based in Langley, Washington, USA. He is working on projects which look at animals as peopl...
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Sherlock #1
$2,100
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Cowboy by Stuart Redler. Black and white photo of cowboy with a saguaro cactus
Located in Coltishall, GB
A cowboy in contemplative pose in front of a saguaro cactus.  The man is wearing a stetson hat and smoking a pipe.  The image evokes the solitude of life on the plains and seems to e...
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David Bowie at The Forum - mid 1970's by Julian Wasser
By Julian Wasser
Located in Chicago, IL
David Bowie at The Forum, mid 1970's Silver Gelatin Print Edition size: 15 *Also available in black & white* Unframed available in the following sizes: 16...
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Rounds - underwater black and white photograph - archival pigment print 22x35"
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This striking monochromatic underwater fine art portrait captures celebrity Justin Jedlica in a moment of aquatic serenity. The high-contrast black and white treatment emphasizes the...
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Cocteau Rings, #2271. Homage to Horst P. Horst collage color photograph
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Thought Experiments 4
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Located in Lenox, MA
Jeff Robb Thought Experiments 4 Lenticular Photograph 39" x 39" Edition of 9 Framed: 40.5" x 40.5" $15,000 Provenance: From the artist's studio Additional Information: Available ...
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21st Century and Contemporary Mickalene Thomas Photography

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Thought Experiments 4
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Finding the Universe in Oaxaca, Yellow, Red, Blue
By Gary Goldberg
Located in San Francisco, CA
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Lucia at Fourteen - Contemporary, Polaroid, Photograph
By Cristina Fontsare
Located in Morongo Valley, CA
Lucia at fourtenn - 2019 50 x 35 cm, Edition 1 of 5. Photograph printed in Hanemühle Baryta Photo Rag 340gr, based on a Hand painted Fuji Instant Film original (not mounted). Si...
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Aria ix
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Located in Lenox, MA
Jeff Robb Aria ix, 2018 Lenticular Photograph 31" x 31" Editions 6-12 of 12 $10,000 Provenance: From the artist's studio Additional Information: Available in additional sizes, ple...
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21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Mickalene Thomas Photography

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Divination by Shadow
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Each Cabinet Card is unique, and the image above details the front and back of the card. A handmade display stand made by the artist is also available for $100 – please inquire if in...
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2010s Contemporary Mickalene Thomas Photography

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Previously Available Items
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
Category

2010s Mickalene Thomas Photography

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Archival Ink, Inkjet

The High Priestess
The High Priestess
H 20.2 in W 16.25 in D 1 in
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 Photography

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Mickalene Thomas photography for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Mickalene Thomas photography available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Mickalene Thomas in digital print, inkjet 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 photography, so small editions measuring 14 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Lori Nix and Kathleen Gerber, Jill Greenberg, and Bill Armstrong. Mickalene Thomas photography 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 $3,500, while the average work can sell for $3,500.

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