Portrait of woman with afro with exposed chest

Mickalene Thomas

Portrait of Maya #10

€795

Edition of 73259.3 (H) × 52.5 (W) cm

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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

Great packaging and superb frame! nice piece
Review of Actual Size
its wonderful. i love buying from you all.
Review of Sierra
Excellent on every level - buying experience, communication, framing and packaging by (which was exceptional) and of course, the actual artwork - it is stunning in real life - really delighted.
Review of Guardian
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
absolutely stunning print. framing was fantastic as well. very happy, thank you
Review of Portrait of Francis Bacon
much better than rxpected. the print is high quality and the packaging professional
Review of La Nascita
well done, excellent product and customer service
Review of La Nascita
Excellent experience overall. Thank you for an easy transaction.
Review of Everyone is a dragon

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