Mickalene Thomas, Interior: Zebra with Two Chairs and Funky Fur, 2014, relief, intaglio, archival inkjet, collage, enamel paint, gold leaf, and colored pencil on paper, edition 22/24, publisher: Tandem Press, Madison, WI, 43 × 53 inches. 2016 Collectors’ Circle purchase with additional funds provided by 2016 Collectors’ Circle members Cherry & Paul Lentz Saenger, 2016.23.01. © Mickalene Thomas, courtesy Tandem Press, Madison, WI. Image Tandem Press, Madison, WI. Mickalene Thomas (lives and works in Brooklyn, NY) makes paintings, collages, photography, video, and installations that draw on art history and popular culture to create a contemporary vision of female sexuality, beauty, and power. Blurring the distinction between object and subject, concrete and abstract, real and imaginary, Thomas constructs complex portraits, landscapes, and interiors in order to examine how identity, gender, and sense-of-self are informed by the ways women (and “feminine” spaces) are represented in art and popular culture.
Kelly’s Take
Read on to see why this is Learning & Engagement Assistant Kelly Baisley’s current Collection fave:
What I love about this Mickalene Thomas work is how she uses contrasting patterns and textures and colors, but they all somehow go together. I would feel very chic if I were in this space. Also, those two animal prints and floral are giving me inspiration for an outfit!
