Mickalene Thomas:
All About Love

About the Exhibition

Mickalene Thomas: All About Love is the first major international tour focused on the work of pioneering artist Mickalene Thomas (American, b. 1971), whose influences range from 19th-century painting to popular culture. Co-organized by the Hayward Gallery, London, and The Broad, Los Angeles, and in partnership with the Barnes and Les Abattoirs, Musée–Frac Occitanie Toulouse, All About Love is being shown as a series of independent presentations, with further venues to be confirmed.

The Barnes presentation of All About Love showcases a selection of vivid artworks—paintings, collage, photography, video, and site-specific installation—that celebrates Thomas’s distinctive artistic practice from the late 2000s to the present day. Her work is characterized by spectacularly staged, rhinestoned, large-scale painted tableaux and bold, intimate compositions, decisively foregrounding Black femininity in abundant realms of visual pleasure, agency, and kinship. Whether in imaginative dialogue with canonical works from the history of art or playfully reckoning with popular culture, Thomas’s exuberant portraits offer an empowered vision of beauty and desire, formulated through a sensual, Black feminist lens.

Venues
The Broad, Los Angeles (May 25–September 29, 2024)
The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia (October 20, 2024–January 12, 2025)
Hayward Gallery, London (February 11–May 5, 2025)
Les Abattoirs, Musée–Frac Occitanie Toulouse (June 13–November 9, 2025)

About the Artist

Mickalene Thomas (b. 1971, Camden, New Jersey) is one of today’s most influential artists. Her innovative practice has yielded instantly recognizable and widely celebrated aesthetic languages within contemporary visual culture. Thomas completed her MFA at the Yale University School of Art in 2002 and a residency at the Studio Museum in Harlem in 2003, and soon became known for her large-scale acrylic paintings of Black women in states of leisure and repose. Her confident and assured subjects are often depicted in domestic interiors from Black America, claiming the agency of womanhood while deconstructing the art historical canon. Outside of her core practice, Thomas is a Tony Award–nominated co-producer, curator, educator, and mentor to many emerging artists. Thomas’s work has become an undeniable force within the contemporary art world and an indispensable inspiration to younger generations of artists. She lives and works in New York. Photograph by Emil Horowitz

Exhibition Organization

Mickalene Thomas: All About Love is co-organized by the Hayward Gallery, London, and The Broad, Los Angeles, and in partnership with the Barnes and Les Abattoirs, Musée–Frac Occitanie Toulouse. The Barnes presentation is curated by independent curator and scholar Renée Mussai.

Related Programs

Member Previews
Thursday, October 17, 10 am–5 pm
Friday, October 18, 10 am–4 pm
Saturday, October 19, 10 am–5 pm
Members are invited to see Mickalene Thomas: All About Love before it opens.

Barnes Art Ball
Friday, October 18, 7 pm
Our annual fundraiser brings together artists, collectors, philanthropists, and community partners for a night of diverse and dynamic creative experiences. All About Love sets the tone and serves as the backdrop for this dazzling evening as we celebrate Mickalene Thomas.

Curators in Conversation
Sunday, October 20, 1 pm
On-site and online
Join us for an engaging conversation featuring artist Mickalene Thomas and exhibition curator Renée Mussai.

Class: Mickalene Thomas, Visual Pleasure and Arts Activism
Thursdays, October 24–November 21, 2–3:30 pm
Take a deeper dive into Thomas’s career and influence with this online class taught by All About Love curator Renée Mussai.

In Focus Gallery Talks
October 21, November 18, December 16, 3–3:30 pm
Emma Nell Jacobs, a doctoral candidate in the history of art at the University of Pennsylvania, leads in-depth discussions on works in All About Love.

Exhibition Tours: All About Love
Daily, beginning October 24, 1 pm
Take an in-depth exhibition tour to learn more about Thomas’s work and practice.

Private Exhibition Tours: All About Love
Daily, beginning October 24, 1 pm
Book a private exhibition tour for up to eight guests to learn more about Thomas’s work and practice.

Members-Only Gallery Tours: All About Love
Thursdays, beginning October 24, 2–3 pm
Members are invited to attend exclusive exhibition tours.

Members-Only Online Tours: All About Love
October 30, November 13, and December 11, 2–3 pm
Members are invited to attend exclusive online exhibition tours.

First Friday
November 1, December 6, January 3; 6–9 pm
Enjoy an evening of art, live music, and light fare on the first Friday of each month, with access to the collection and All About Love. Our November event features saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins; Yolanda Wisher & the Afroeaters perform in December and R&B singer Black Buttafly in January.

PECO Free First Sunday Family Day
November 3, December 1, January 5; 10 am–5 pm
On the first Sunday of every month, the Barnes partners with PECO to offer a free day of family fun. Along with art making, educational activities, and featured performances, the event includes complimentary access to the Barnes collection and All About Love.

All About Love: Second Saturday Film Series
November 9, December 14, January 11; 2 pm
Join us for a special three-part film series inspired by All About Love. Curated by BlackStar Film Festival founder Maori Karmael Holmes, this program includes feature-length and short films that explore themes of kinship, femininity, and desire. More information coming soon.

Young Professionals Night: All About Love
Friday, November 15, 7–11 pm
It’s time to shine! This fall’s edition of Barnes Young Professionals Night celebrates the emerging creatives who fuel Philly’s vibrant cultural scene and includes access to All About Love. More information coming soon.