Mickalene Thomas: Femmes Noires 101

Today is the publishing date for Mickalene Thomas: Femmes Noires, edited by Andrea Andersson and Julie Crooks. The work included in the exhibition and book compares intersections of race, gender, class, and sexuality and draws attention to what has been overlooked in the historical art narrative and in mainstream art. The exhibition is at the Art Gallery of Ontario until March 24, 2019. Why not get caught up with recent media mentions of the exhibit while building your anticipation to get your hands on this engaging and stunning art book?

Did you know?

This is Brooklyn-based artist Mickalene Thomas’s first large-scale solo show in Canada, which she worked on with AGO curator Julie Crooks. This exhibition also marks the second time a Black woman has received a solo show at the AGO.

Read this piece from Now Toronto about this game-changer for visibility and representation.

Start an international conversation

By coming to the AGO, Thomas hopes to start discourse about visibility and work with other individuals in order to make a change. Read more about Thomas and the work she does with her partner Racquel Chevremont in Elle.

Inspiration drawn from the past

Thomas takes iconic works canonised into art history and re-interprets them by inserting figures of marginalized Black women and incorporating traditionally “feminine” art mediums such as glitter. Zoomer has a piece up here about how Thomas acknowledges the space within art history which is hers and owns it with diversity and modernity.

AGO Talk: Julie Crooks on "Mickalene Thomas: Femmes Noires"

If you’re in Toronto at the end of February, you can have a discussion about race, representational politics, Black celebrity culture, and sexuality with Curator Julie Crooks. You can find the event listing here.

That’s it for the second instalment of our 101 series. Stay tuned for further 101 survey courses in the coming days.