Michelle O by Mickalene Thomas

Image used with kind permission from Brand X Projects, Inc.

With no signs of Mrs. O on Martha's Vineyard just yet (hopefully she's enjoying a bit of peace and quiet!), I wanted to share an early blog post that dates from November 2008. The subject of the post was a screenprint by Mickalene Thomas. Shortly after the post ran, the screenprint was acquired by National Portrait Gallery in Washington. Two years later, it will be on display for the first time at the gallery, as part of the "Americans Now" exhibit running through July 2011. Will any of you Washingtonians be attending?

From November 2008:

Brand X Projects, Inc., a fine art publishing company located in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, has unveiled a limited edition screenprint titled Michelle O by artist Mickalene Thomas. This small edition of 40 screenprints is signed and numbered in pencil, and the portrait is the first completed of Mrs. O by the artist.

New Jersey born, with degrees from the Pratt Institute and Yale University School of Art, Mickalene Thomas has established herself as an important American contemporary artist. Known for her images of iconic African American women, her work is part of the permanent collections of the Brooklyn Museum, The Studio Museum in Harlem and The Art Institute of Chicago, among others. This latest work is a timely celebration of our soon to be First Lady, Mrs. O.

It's exciting to watch the broad-reaching cultural influence Mrs. O is poised to have as First Lady. Alongside the recently unveiled portrait by Elizabeth Peyton, this latest work by Mickalene Thomas is a sign of great things to come. And while not fashion focused, one can see direct ties to Mrs. O’s personal style in these portraits -- as they capture her strength, femininity and self-possession.