Mickalene Thomas

New York based artist Mickalene Thomas finds inspiration for her sexually charged mixed media images surprsingly from fine artist Edouard Manet and Henri Matisse. She studied fine art portature and landscaping at Pratt institute where she earned a Bachelor of Fine arts. She continued her studies at Yale univerity, earning herslef a masters in fine arts. Since statrting her career as a full time artist in 2002, Thomas has had her work exhibited at various musuems and galleries, most recently and widley noted her piece completed for the Musuem of Modern Art in 2011.

As previously stated, Thomas focuses on black women with popuar culture refrences. Her subjects are generally in suggestive poses which are both libertaing and empowering as well as eye opening- bringing light to the beauty of all women. With her intense and inviting color schemes and combination of patterns and textures, Thomas pieces illustrate the complex concepts of what it means to be a woman in American society.