Mickalene Thomas

Mickalene Thomas’s Raquel Come to Me Two is a celebration of Black female subjectivity, desire, and the complex dynamics of the gaze. Centering on her frequent muse, collaborator, and wife, Raquel Chevremont, the image subverts the historical legacy of the Odalisque and classical Western portraiture by positioning a Black queer woman as the primary subject of beauty, agency, and power. Within Thomas’s broader oeuvre, this work represents a critical extension of her ongoing project to dismantle and reconstruct the art historical canon, replacing passive objectification with an empowered, self-possessed presence that confronts the viewer directly.

Aesthetically, the work is characterized by a dense, kaleidoscopic collision of domestic patterns, textures, and vibrant color fields that evoke the aesthetic interiors of the 1970s. The composition relies on a deliberate spatial flattening, a hallmark of Thomas’s practice, where the subject and the hyper-ornamented background merge into a cohesive, rhythmic surface. Translated here as a high-fidelity digital print on hot press paper, the piece successfully mimics the intricate, collaged layering of her monumental paintings while functioning as an autonomous graphic work. The interplay of bold geometric shapes against organic floral motifs creates a dynamic visual architecture that frames and amplifies Raquel’s commanding posture.

Black is Beautiful operates as a bold reclamation of Black female subjectivity and a direct homage to the aesthetics and political urgency of the 1970s cultural movement of the same name. By centering a self-possessed Black woman with a short, natural crop, Thomas subverts the historical legacy of Western portraiture that has long marginalized or objectified Black bodies. Stripped of the dense material excess that characterizes much of her later work, this unvarnished studio portrait bridges personal intimacy with fierce political assertion to redefine the contemporary muse.

While this image was released in 2018, its aesthetic is deeply rooted in Thomas' early career's work (such as her early 2000s Quanikah and Muse series). Before she became famous for her monumental, materially dense canvases, she used straightforward photography to lay the conceptual groundwork for her practice.

Time-limited edition for 24h from June 26-27 2024

Afro Goddess Looking Forward operates as a powerful reclamation of Black female beauty, agency, and subjectivity within the Western art historical canon. Rooted in Thomas broader practice of subverting the traditional Odalisque, the work centers the Black woman not as a passive object of the gaze, but as a self-possessed, commanding presence. Created during a period when Thomas was deeply exploring the aesthetic vernacular of the 1970s and the visual legacy of the "Black is Beautiful" movement, the portrait elevates her subject to the status of an iconic, contemporary muse, blending personal intimacy with fierce political assertion.

Time-limited edition for 24h from June 26-27 2024