Dimensions of the set:
Portrait of Maya #10: 59.3 cm x 52.5 cm | 23.35 x 20.67 in
Interior: Red Couch and Landscape: 38 cm x 59.3 cm | 14.96 x 23.35 in
Edition size:
Portrait of Maya #10: Edition of 732
Interior: Red Couch and Landscape: Edition of 379
Medium:
Portrait of Maya #10: UV pigment print on 410gsm Somerset Tub Sized Radiant White paper with 4 metallic silkscreen glitter and shimmer layers, a CMYK silkscreen central panel and matte varnish seal
Interior: Red Couch and Landscape: UV pigment print on 410gsm Somerset Tub Sized Radiant White paper with 2 silkscreen metallic shimmer and glitter layers, 2 satin and gloss detail layers and a matte varnish silkscreen seal.
A fusion of chic aesthetics and surrealism takes shape in this previously-unseen collage by Mickalene Thomas. Echoing the allure of vintage glossy magazines, Interior: Red Couch and Landscape (2024) is enriched with silkscreen layers of metallic shimmer, high-gloss and satin varnish, hand-applied glitter, and a matte seal, creating a dynamic interplay of textures.
Collage is at the heart of Thomas’s artistic process, offering a glimpse into the development and intimate nuances of her creative vision. In this piece, the absence of human figures directs attention to the richly layered interior, where each detail invites closer exploration. The space is alive with bold patterns, shimmering embellishments, and a striking interplay of textures. From the nostalgic charm of the living room to the lush greenery beyond, the composition sparks the imagination, encouraging viewers to envision the untold stories embedded within Thomas’s meticulously curated world.
The unapologetic Portrait of Maya #10 (2024), originally conceived as a monumental 8-foot-tall artwork as part of the Broad Collection 2017, is a bold celebration of love and sexuality - conveying strength, beauty, power, and vulnerability all at once. Modes of intimate relations inform Portrait of Maya #10, drawing from a series of photographs (Remember Me, 2006) taken with a 35mm disposable camera by Thomas. The images capture Maya, her muse and lover from years gone by, in their home and basement studio on Lexington Avenue, Brooklyn.
The sensual Maya stands empowered, sparkled, and poised. With her arms raised behind her head like wings spread, she commands her outward gaze and her surroundings, exuding a powerful sense of self-possession through which she emboldens her viewers, forcing them to engage with her.
Her work also celebrates the textures of materials just as she honours the textures and contours of Black womanhood. Drawn to the unconventional, she embraced rhinestones - first out of necessity and later in reference to French Impressionism, particularly Georges Seurat and Pointillism. The rhinestones came to symbolise the complexity of femininity in her work, becoming a defining element of her artistic language. The acrylic and rhinestone composition in the original portrait, transformed into silkscreen overprints and hand-applied glitter in this edition, also embodies Thomas’s signature ability to apply several layers of material and symbolic meaning, unmasking our world of appearances into a single surface while challenging conventional boundaries of technique and medium.
Collage is a foundational element in her practice, revealing the conception and intimate evolution of her artistic vision - visible also in the double exposure on Maya's chest. As Thomas described it, the projected image is almost like an X-ray, peering into Maya’s soul. By layering multiple photographs and juxtaposing painted with photographic elements, Thomas creates a striking depth of field, generating rhythm and movement.
Unifying all these elements in this larger-than-life work, Thomas invites viewers into the bold and dynamic universe she has created in Portrait of Maya #10, from which any viewer would be unable to divert their gaze.
“ Collage is how I draw and see, create form and composition. It's a defining moment of learning, unlearning and redefining the concepts and images in my work. „