New York’s Mickalene Thomas is the newest artist on the roster of Chicago- and Berlin-based gallery Kavi Gupta, joining a stable that includes Theaster Gates and Roxy Paine. Lehmann Maupin will continue to represent Thomas in New York.
Known for her rhinestone-encrusted portraits, Thomas incorporates both politics and pop culture in her work, which often deals with issues faced by black women. A solo exhibition, “Mickalene Thomas: Origin of the Universe,” ran last year at the Brooklyn Museum, and featured Thomas’s short documentary Happy Birthday to a Beautiful Woman. The film, about the artist’s mother, was shown on HBO last month, and has had a number of international screenings.