Alma W. Thomas

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Everything Is Beautiful

Seth Feman and Jonathan Frederick Walz

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A sweeping retrospective of Alma W. Thomas’s wide-reaching artistic practice that sheds new light on her singular search for beauty

Achieving fame in 1972 as the first Black woman to mount a solo show at the Whitney Museum of American Art, Alma W. Thomas (1891–1978) is known for her large abstract paintings filled with irregular patterns of bright colors. This insightful reassessment of Thomas’s life and work reveals her complex and deliberate artistic existence before, during, and after the years of commercial and critical success, and describes how her innovative palette and loose application of paint grew out of a long study of color theory. Essays trace Thomas’s journey from semirural Georgia to international recognition and situate her work within the context of the Washington Color School and creative communities connected to Howard University. Featuring rarely seen theatrical designs, sculpture, family photographs, watercolors, and marionettes, this volume demonstrates how Thomas’s pursuit of beauty extended to every facet of her life—from her exuberant abstractions to the conscientious construction of her own persona through community service, teaching, and gardening.  



Published in association with The Columbus Museum and the Chrysler Museum of Art


Exhibition Schedule:

Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA
(July 9–October 3, 2021)
 
The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC
(October 30, 2021–January 23, 2022)
 
Frist Art Museum, Nashville
(February 25–June 5, 2022)
 
The Columbus Museum, GA
(July 1–September 25, 2022)
 

Seth Feman is deputy director for art and interpretation and curator of photography at the Chrysler Museum of Art. Jonathan Frederick Walz is director of curatorial affairs and curator of American art at The Columbus Museum.

EXHIBITION SCHEDULE

Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA
(July 9–October 3, 2021)
 
The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC
(October 30, 2021–January 23, 2022)
 
Frist Art Museum, Nashville
(February 25–June 5, 2022)
 
The Columbus Museum, GA
(July 1–September 25, 2022)
 

"A robust, but until now mostly untold, account of Thomas’ artistic journey."—Artfix Daily 
 

“Stunning. . . . The catalog’s writing is consistently clear and free of jargon is a tribute to the authors and editors. The essays are illustrated with a wealth of photographs and archival material that document the artist’s life. The full-color illustrations of the artworks are superb.”—Andrea Kirsch, The Art Blog

Won a bronze medal in the books and catalogues category of the Southeastern Museums Conference Publications Competition.
ISBN: 9780300258936
Publication Date: August 17, 2021
Publishing Partner: Published in association with The Columbus Museum and the Chrysler Museum of Art
336 pages, 9 1/2 x 11 3/4
222 color + 85 b/w illus.
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