Mickalene Thomas, 'Clarivel with Black Blouse and White Ribbons', 2016

Mickalene Thomas
Clarivel with Black Blouse and White Ribbons, 2016
Epson inkjet print with HDR Ultrachrome inks
26 x 20 3/4 in. (unframed)
AP 3 - 5

On the occasion of ACP's 2026 Auction Gala, Mickalene Thomas donated four prints to support ACP's programs. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to own a work from one of the most prolific artists working today.

About the Artwork:
"Clarivel with Black Blouse and White Ribbon" exemplifies Thomas' intricate collage style and her representation of empowered, poised black women. Recalling Renaissance portraiture, this well-coiffed, seated subject is shown torso-length in a domestic interior with a landscape in the distance. 

The wood paneling and flooring signify an interior space. A fern leaf pattern (perhaps from wallpaper or fabric) is contrasted with bare-leafed trees of a distant landscape. A signature element of Thomas' work is juxtaposing elements of domesticity with elements of the natural world.

How do we interpret how Clarivel's eyes have been collaged over? The applied layer of eyes confront the viewer's gaze, another signature of Thomas' portraits. It also raises the possibility that the source image of Clarivel may have had eyes closed, turned away or downward. Behind Clarivel hangs an image of Stevie Wonder's 1980 album Hotter Than July - its presence is a reminder of how important vision and representation are in Thomas' oeuvre.  

Thomas' works can be found in numerous museum's permanent collections; including the Museum of Modern Art (NY), Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal, the Guggenheim (NYC), the Smithsonian American Art Museum (NYC), and the Whitney (NYC) among many others. -Artsy.com

Artist Bio: 
Mickalene Thomas was born and raised in New Jersey and lives and works in New York. One of the most influential artists today, her innovative practice has yielded instantly recognizable and widely celebrated aesthetic languages within contemporary visual culture. Not only do her masterful mixed-media paintings, photographs, films and installations command space, they occupy eloquently while dissecting the intersecting complexities of black and female identity within the Western canon. Outside of her core practice, Thomas is a Tony Awards nominated co-producer, curator, educator and mentor to many emerging artists. While embarking on her own monumental solo shows, she simultaneously curates exhibitions at galleries and museums. Thomas’s work has become an undeniable force within the contemporary art world and an indispensable inspiration to younger generations of artists.