Clarivel with Black Blouse and White Ribbon

Category

Technique

Date

Dimensions

Dimensions with frame73 cm x 59 cm

Signature

Proof(s) of authenticity

State of conservation

Framing

Location

Description

Mickalene Thomas, Clarivel with Black Blouse and White Ribbon, 2016

Epson inkjet print with HDR Ultrachrome inks on paper
Edition of 25
Signed and numbered on the reverse: 16/25

Dimensions
Image: 66 × 52.7 cm (26 × 20.7 in.)
Framed: 73 × 59 cm (28.7 × 23.2 in.)

Created in 2016, Clarivel with Black Blouse and White Ribbon belongs to a mature phase in Mickalene Thomas’s practice, where her visual language reaches a particularly refined level of precision and control.
The work presents a frontal portrait of a woman, constructed through an assemblage of images and patterns. The face, rendered in black and white, contrasts with a surrounding environment composed of colored and decorative elements, creating a visual tension characteristic of the artist’s practice.
The composition is built through layers and cut-outs, where photography, collage, and cultural references coexist in a carefully balanced structure. The background, articulated through botanical motifs and graphic elements, plays an essential role in shaping the image and staging the subject.
The gaze, direct and composed, conveys a calm yet assertive presence. Nothing is incidental; each element contributes to a visual narrative where identity, memory, and representation intersect.

Analysis
Through this work, Mickalene Thomas continues her exploration of the representation of the Black female body, particularly in its historical and cultural dimensions.
The use of black and white for the face reinforces a photographic and documentary quality, while the colored elements introduce a more subjective, almost intimate reading.
Rather than seeking to seduce, the portrait asserts presence. It operates within a process of reappropriating the codes of Western portraiture, which the artist reworks to present a figure who is fully the subject of her own representation.

Significance within the artist’s practice
By 2016, Mickalene Thomas is firmly established on the international art scene. This work reflects a period in which her practice becomes increasingly complex, particularly through the use of photographic collage and spatial construction.
The editions produced during this time, using high-quality printing techniques, demonstrate a desire to broaden the circulation of her work while maintaining a high level of formal rigor.

Market and positioning
Mickalene Thomas’s editions in limited runs of 25 are particularly sought after, especially when signed and clearly numbered.
Her market is supported by strong institutional presence and international critical recognition, resulting in sustained demand and steady appreciation of her work.

Provenance

ART SPACE