The first comprehensive monograph on Mickalene Thomas, a key figure in 21st-century contemporary artOver the past two decades Mickalene Thomass critically acclaimed and extensive body of work has spanned painting, collage, photography, video, and immersive installations that have become  her signature. With influences ranging from nineteenth-century painting to popular culture, Thomass art articulates a complex and empowering vision of aspiration and self-image through gender and race while expanding on and subverting common definitions of beauty, sexuality, and celebrity. This book, made in close collaboration with Thomas, is the first to survey the breadth of her extraordinary career.

Roxane Gay is a writer, memoirist, and contributor to the New York Times. She is the author of several books, including Hunger and Bad Feminist.   Kellie Jones is Professor in Art History and Archaeology at   the Institute for Research in African American Studies at Columbia. She has authored several books and curated exhibitions including Now Dig This!: Art and Black Los Angeles, 1960-1980.