"The women I work with are powerhouses: their prowess is undeniable, and I only hope to bring forth their true selves. I want the world to see these various black women as strong, grounded, confident, and sexy."
— Mickalene Thomas

An iconic image by Mickalene Thomas, I’ve Been Good to Me, 2013 is one of the most refined examples of the artist’s work to arrive at auction. Featuring Thomas’s signature collaged layers of acrylic paint and rhinestones, the work depicts a seated woman, exuding an air of confidence and evocative of Pam Grier, wearing extravagant 1970s dress surrounded by patterned cushions and tapestries.

 

Featuring a self-assured gaze redolent of those of Édouard Manet’s Olympia, 1863, Musée d'Orsay, Paris, this picture explores identity, female sexuality, and the politics of the “gaze”—themes that can be traced throughout Thomas’s oeuvre. The image so appealed to the artist that she revisited it in a print run two years later.

 

The Story of Qusuquzah

 

The sitter of I’ve Been Good to Me is transgender model Qusuquzah, identifiable by her dress, hairstyle, and jewelry, which has been used in other depictions of her by Thomas such as Qusuquzah Lounging with Pink + Black Flower and Portrait of Qusuquzah #7, both from 2016. One of Thomas’s most frequent sitters, Qusuquzah was introduced to Thomas through a friend, and many of the artist’s representations of her are held in museum collections around the world.

"The women I choose already exude that power; they have a magnetic, fierce energy and that is the attraction."
— Mickalene ThomasThomas’s paintings and photographs are far from anonymous: she typically depicts her friends, lovers, and family members—often identifying them by name—and first began exploring her distinctive visual language by photographing her mother while she was an MFA student at Yale University. “Just like my first muse, my mother, all of my muses possess a profound sense of inner confidence and individuality,” Thomas expressed. “They are all in tune with their own audacity and beauty in such unique ways. They are unafraid to exude boldness and vulnerability at the same time, and most importantly, they are real.”ⁱ

 

Influenced by Carrie Mae Weems’s seminal Kitchen Table Series, Thomas first photographs her subjects in her Brooklyn studio, where she constructs installations evocative of domestic interiors replete with furniture and objects the artist herself alters using vibrant colors and patterns. Her sitters’ poses take equal inspiration from the radical confidence of both Manet’s female figures and those of Black women represented in 1970s popular culture, such as Jet magazine and Blaxploitation films—two of Thomas’s greatest influences.

 

After the shoot, she then translates the image into a painting using unconventional materials— such as rhinestones in the case of I’ve Been Good to Me. This distinctive aspect of Thomas’s visual languages dates back to her time in art school, when she couldn’t always afford oil or acrylic paints and took the opportunity to turn to other, more untraditional media. “I purchased my art supplies form craft stores,” Thomas elucidated. “The materials,” such as felt, glitter, and yarn, “were cheaper, and they also allowed me to experiment and play.”ⁱⁱ

 

This mixture of paint and objects contributes to a three-dimensional collage effect that on one hand is reminiscent of the work of Henri Mattise and Romare Bearden; on the other, it seems to allude to the democratic appeal of 70s kitsch. “Everyone had wood paneling in their house, regardless of race, and everyone loves rhinestones,” Thomas explained. “These elements are not necessarily about the black experience; it’s about the idea of covering up, of dress up and make up—of amplifying how we see ourselves. It’s beyond a black esthetic.”ⁱⁱⁱ

 

Property from the Collection of Pamela K. and William A. Royall Jr.

 

The present work arrives at auction from the collection of pioneering Virginia-based philanthropists Pamela and William Royall, prominent collectors of 20^th century and contemporary art in the American South. The collection reflects their broad interests, from well-known artists from the 20^th century to emerging and established Black artists. Committed arts patrons and forces of change in Richmond, the Royalls spearhead the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts’s recent acquisition of Kehinde Wiley’s sculpture Rumors of War as board members of the institution and were instrumental to the museum’s expansion of the diversity of its collection. Believing in a vision of greater inclusivity for Richmond, the Royalls established a non-profit art gallery for the collection, Try-me, which was open without charge to the public, which fostered a space for local artists and education. 

 

Cut from the Archives

 

 

ⁱ Mickalene Thomas, quoted in Katie Booth, “In Mickalene Thomas’s Awe-Inspiring Portraits, a

 Meaningful Reflection of Black Women in Art,” The New York Times, January 29, 2016.

^{ii, iii} Mickalene Thomas, quoted in Carol Kino, “A Confidence Highlighted in Rhinestones,” The New York Times, April 7, 2009, online.