On View
Not on viewObject number2010.52
You're Gonna Give Me the Love I Need
Artist
Mickalene Thomas
(American, 1971-)
Date2010
Mediummixed media
Dimensionsimage: 24 × 30 in. (61 × 76.2 cm)
sheet: 24 × 30 in. (61 × 76.2 cm)
mat: 30 × 40 in. (76.2 × 101.6 cm)
sheet: 24 × 30 in. (61 × 76.2 cm)
mat: 30 × 40 in. (76.2 × 101.6 cm)
Credit LinePermanent Collection Fund
Exhibition History"Common Ground: African American Art from the Flint Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, and the Muskegon Museum of Art," FIA, Flint, Michigan (Feb. 8 - Apr. 26, 2015), KIA, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts (Aug. 21 - Nov. 15, 2015), Muskegon Museum of Arts, Muskegon, Michigan
"Resilience: African American Artists as Agents of Change," at the KIA (September 14, 2019 - February 16, 2020)
"Africa, Imagined: Reflections on Modern and Contemporary Art," KIA Gallerys 3 & 4 (January 22 - May 1, 2022)
"EXPO Chicago 2023" Chicago, Navy Pier (April 11 - 14, 2023).Label TextIn You're Gonna Give Me the Love I Need, Mickalene Thomas presents the reclining figure of a woman, a familiar pose known as the Odalisque. Traditionally, a reclining nude woman portrayed by European male painters, symbolized women as sexually available, idealized, and submissive. In the hands of Thomas, however, the woman is clothed enticingly in a v-neck blouse, black skirt, and red peep-toe pumps. The model’s posture and facial expression communicate her commanding presence and undeniable style. Despite colorful surroundings, the palpable energy of the woman at center draws the viewer’s attention directly to her. Weaving in bits of cloth and adding a dash of glitter, Thomas incorporates the bold colors, patterns, and textures of Black culture, fashion and everyday life, further underscoring the woman’s dynamism and ownership of her own sexuality. Thomas’ work re-envisions the Odalisque as a Black woman with agency and power, repositioning the subject a woman demanding respect—and even reverence.
