“Mickalene Thomas: Happy Birthday to a Beautiful Woman”
George Eastman House, Rochester NY
On view June 20-October 19, 2014
Mickalene Thomas is a distinguished, multidisciplinary visual artist and filmmaker who deftly combines art-historical, political, and pop-cultural references to create a striking commentary on what it means to be a woman in the 21st century by challenging conventional notions of beauty. Her work across various mediums is informed by her deep engagement with art history and classical genres of portraiture, landscape and still life, which she re-contextualizes in contemporary terms.
Her exhibition "Mickalene Thomas: Happy Birthday to a Beautiful Woman " demonstrates her ongoing engagement with portraiture as a key to personal and cultural identity. Using her mother as her muse for the past decade, Thomas creates images that layer personal history with art history, revealing in the process the complex role of the mother-daughter bond for each woman’s sense of self.
Learn more: http://bit.ly/1w4LztI
Video by Nicole Rosenberg