Mickalene Thomas: Brawlin' Spitfire 2: Frieze New York 2020

New York-based artist Mickalene Thomas (b. 1971, USA) is best known for her elaborate paintings composed of rhinestones, acrylic and enamel. Thomas introduces a complex vision of what it means to be a woman and expands common definitions of beauty. Her work stems from her long study of art history and the classical genres of portraiture, landscape, and still life. Inspired by various sources that range from the 19th century Hudson River School to Edouard Manet, Henri Matisse and Romare Bearden, she continues to explore notions of beauty from a contemporary perspective infused with the more recent influences of popular culture and Pop Art.

Recent exhibitions include Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans, MOCA Los Angeles, Aspen Art Museum, Queens Museum of Art and the ICA Boston. Thomas' work is in several public collections, including 21c Museum, The Akron Art Museum, The Art Institute of Chicago, Baltimore Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum, The Guggenheim Museum, New York, The International Center of Photography, Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal, The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, The Museum of Modern Art, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, and the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art.