Object Details
- Artist
- Mickalene Thomas, born Camden, NJ 1971
- Sitter
- Mnonja
- Gallery Label
- Mickalene Thomas covered the surface of Portrait of Mnonja with sparkling rhinestones that adorn the reclining figure's clothing, makeup, and high-heeled shoes. The colorful plastic gems are not usually found on paintings or in museums, but they are at the heart of Thomas's art.
- Although she first started working with rhinestones because they were inexpensive, Thomas finds them to be the ideal material to represent the Black women who are her subjects. She loves to use an element of women's crafts that is often dismissed as unimportant.
- In Mnonja, the straightforward appeal of the stones emphasizes the sitter's powerful presence and sensuality. "Beauty has always been an element of discussion for Black women," Thomas explains, "whether or not we were the ones having the conversation."
- Credit Line
- Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment
- Copyright
- © 2010, Mickalene Thomas
- 2010
- Object number
- 2011.16
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- Painting
- Medium
- rhinestones, acrylic, and enamel on wood panel
- Dimensions
- 96 x 120 in. (243.8 x 304.8 cm)
- See more items in
- Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
- Department
- Painting and Sculpture
- On View
- Smithsonian American Art Museum, 3rd Floor, East Wing
- Smithsonian American Art Museum
- Topic
- African American
- Architecture Interior\domestic\living room
- Portrait female
- Record ID
- saam_2011.16
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/vk7aa843d9a-6578-4724-acc6-686a16cbb746
