In Mickalene Thomas' work, Black women are front and center. "We've been supportive characters for far too long," she says. "I would describe my art as radically shifting notions of beauty by claiming space." Her new exhibition of collages, paintings, and photographs is called All About Love. She spoke with Tonya Mosley about how she "draws with scissors," using her mother as a muse, and her reinterpretation of Manet. Also, David Bianculli reviews the new documentary Beatles '64. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
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This is FRESH air.
I'm Tanya Moseley, and today my guest is multidisciplinary artist Mickalene Thomas.
In Thomas Art, black women are front and center.
Her subjects are often at leisure, resting on couches and chairs, sometimes clothed, sometimes fully nude, accentuated by rhinestones in rich, colorful patterns.
The scale of her paintings, often made of unconventional materials like glitter, sequins and yarn, makes them feel larger than life.
With the eyes of her subjects gazing directly at us, Thomas Art made me think about the slew of recent articles in the New York Times, Associated Press, Teen Vogue and others that delve into the sentiment many black women felt after the outcome of the presidential race.