Mickalene Thomas and Tom Wesselmann consider the female nude in Palm Springs

What place does the female nude have in art history? It is a question being considered by two very different artists at the Palm Springs Art Museum, where Mickalene Thomas and Tom Wesselmann, in dialogue, present their own portrayals of women’s bodies.

Despite stylistic differences - Wesselmann’s bold planes of colour are in direct contrast to Thomas’s layered collages - both artists share a preoccupation with power and agency. In viewing their work together, a wider historical context invites new interpretation. Wesselmann was heavily influenced by the often contradictory cultural politics of the Sixties and Seventies, the time he was working, something Thomas responds to by focusing on the male gaze itself.

'Across my practice, I engage with and shift narratives that appear in parts of Wesselmann’s work, to expose the mechanics of the male gaze and reframe how women and their bodies are seen, experienced, and understood. I hope that through my work women reclaim their power, not only in art but in reality,’ she says. Here, Thomas tells us why a dialogue between the two felt so natural, and the unexpected harmony she discovered in their work.

Mickalene Thomas on the female form in art

Wallpaper*: What drew you to Tom Wesselmann’s work?

Mickalene Thomas: I first encountered Tom Wesselmann’s work as an undergraduate at Pratt Institute, and it immediately resonated with me, especially his Great American Nudes and use of bold, flat color, which aligned with my own ideas and explorations at the time, while working with formal ideas of painting. In responding to Tom Wesselmann, his provocative signifiers - though complex and rooted in the male gaze- created a context that allowed me to explore Black eroticism in ways that extend beyond the male centered desires. Years later, I became deeply inspired by his maquettes and interiors which allowed me to explore that connection, particularly as I began incorporating interiors into my own work.

Despite generational and stylistic differences, the dialogue between our work reflects questions around power, representation, and agency, while opening space to reconsider who gets to shape these narratives.

How did the curatorial process unfold?

The curator - Christine Vendredi, Executive Director of the Palm Springs Art Museum - wanted to bring together different generations and perspectives to reflect on how women’s bodies are represented in culture. To achieve this, we discussed and focused on featuring pieces that crystallized these themes and highlighted how artists from different backgrounds and eras display power and representation. Through the exhibition, viewers have the opportunity to reflect on how perspectives of the female nude continue to evolve, for me since the Black nude is positioned centrally and in close proximity to whiteness, it was important to foreground and examine these relationships.

Your work actively challenges the historical male gaze, while Wesselmann’s work is often cited as emblematic of it. How do you interpret his depictions of women’s bodies within their historical context?

Understanding the historical context of the 1960s and 1970s , the period when Wesselmann was working , is essential. His work captures the contradictions of an era defined by shifting cultural attitudes around gender and sexuality, blending glamour with critique and reflecting complex ideas about beauty, desire, control, and consumerism. By contrast, my work reframes the tradition of the nude by representing women of colour with strength, beauty, and confidence.

Your work often redefines beauty standards by foregrounding Black femininity, queerness, and glamour. How does this exhibition challenge viewers to reconsider what is beautiful, erotic, or empowered?

My gaze, in particular, is that of a Black woman unapologetically loving other Black women. In my work, I challenge traditional representations of these women and celebrate their strength and beauty by drawing from a place of love and joy.

The exhibition invites audiences to see how ideas of beauty and empowerment change when the subject holds the power, rather than being defined by someone else’s gaze.

How did your use of collage, rhinestones, and layered materials function in contrast to Wesselmann’s flat, graphic surfaces?

Our contrasting materialities add a compelling element to the visitor experience. While Wesselmann’s surfaces are sleek and seductive, my canvases are exquisitely layered and juxtaposed with texture, collage, and rhinestones.

My signature technique is complex and multi-dimensional. The use of silkscreen and college allows for disruptive and playful integration of painting and photography. The addition of rhinestones add a sense of pleasure, seduction, and light. The dynamism of my subjects is expressed not only in the final image, but embedded within the very structure of the canvas itself.

Were there any unexpected tensions or harmonies between your works once they were installed together?

A broad legacy of female representation is incredibly prevalent in the show. There were no moments of friction between our works - what is reflected is the linear connection of formal exploration and particularly how our subjects are viewed - the overall experience is charged with a dynamic sense of sensual and empowering prowess..

How do you think conversations about objectification, body politics, and representation have evolved since Wesselmann’s era?

While cultural narratives have evolved since Wesselmann’s era, with increased awareness of the harms of objectification and greater attention to representation and body politics, there is still significant work to be done. Through my work, I try to shift the more traditional narratives that have historically marginalisation specific communities. I want to make Black identity, femininity, and queerness more visible and I believe it’s possible to achieve this through my practice.

'The Female Form: Tom Wesselmann & Mickalene Thomas from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation' is at Palm Springs Art Museum until April 6