She Ain't a Child No More
Lehmann Maupin Gallery is currently showing a solo exhibition of Mickalene Thomas' work entitled "More Than Everything". Thomas is known for her large-scale paintings of luxurious black females surrounded by a confetti of collaged patterns and textures. The paintings exude ultimate eye candy with their bright acrylic applications and rhinestone embellishments while wrestling with the idea of black identity and beauty for women today and historically.
Thomas has exhibited previously in many solo and group shows recently including “Americans Now” at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C. and “The Global Africa Project” at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City. Her work also resides in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, The Guggenheim, and the Whitney, among others.
More Than Everything, on view through October 29th, shows Thomas for the first time through her visual archive that reflect the many aspects of her process and inspiration. The show displays a selection of pieces displayed salon style as both a reference to early modernist salons but also to the clutter and natural chaos of her own workspace.The show includes photographs, collages, drawings, and large-scale Polaroids, displaying for us a more personal, introspective viewpoint that we haven't seen yet from the artist.
