Portrait of woman with afro with exposed chest

Mickalene Thomas

Portrait of Maya #10

€795

Edition of 732

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A muse from years gone by returns in a sparkling print by Mickalene Thomas.

In her portrait, Maya commands the viewer from above in a powerful stance – captured by Mickalene on camera in the apartment the pair once shared in New York City. Collaged photographic layers draw focus to her chest, and what lies within. The original portrait was finished with sparkling embellishments, used by Thomas to redistribute light and draw attention to important areas of the composition.

In support of the Broad museum, the artwork has been transformed into a limited edition print. Silkscreen overprints and hand-applied glitter highlight the X-ray-like section at the artwork’s centre, and add dimension to Maya’s clothing and hair.

“I want the muse to see themselves the way I see them – very strong, confident, incredibly monumental and breathtakingly gorgeous.”

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00:58

Behind the scenes

00:49

Mickalene Thomas10 collaborationsMickalene Thomas set out to change the face of art history, and that's exactly what she did. In her loud but tender multimedia portraits, Black femme power, beauty and desire take centre stage. Whether it's the artist herself, her mother, a lover, a friend or a public figure like Michelle Obama, each woman tells her own story. In Thomas' words: "The gaze of my work is unapologetically a Black woman's gaze loving other Black women."¹ This deep sense of adoration and respect comes through in all of her art – not just her portraits but her interiors and photography too. The bright Pop Art-esque blend of photography, collage, paint and craft shop materials like rhinestones has a celebratory feel designed to uplift and empower the next generation. "For me, it's all about trying to inspire and make young girls, when they walk into a space like [a museum], feel a sense of themselves. They see that they're represented."

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Reviews from Avant collectors

so surprised from the extreme professiomality and packimg
Review of Fuzz Gathering
Great service delivering to Australia, thrilled with the artwork. look forward to hanging it once our renovation is finished.
Review of Diamond Vibration (Caught by the fuzz)
💯💯💯 👌🏻
Review of Untitled
Every detail about this work is brilliant, especially the work itself. Thank you for bringing an incredible talent pool of artists to the public.
Review of Scaffold
This piece is lovely and out for framing. I actually want to buy another.
Review of Inner Love
lovely piece i am absolutely delighted with it thank you
Review of Mecha
The Avant Arte team is all around top notch. Excellent communication and everything is always packaged so thoughtfully. A+
Review of Ringers #962: The LACMA Iterations
Always an amazing service from the team at Avant Art! Keep up the great work and collaborations.
Review of Study_for_Null_Portrait of someone#166

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