The present lot, Afro Muse, 2006, encapsulates the re-appropriated 1970s’ aesthetic that Mickalene Thomas cites as being a great inspiration to her work. Thomas claims the photographic image to be a defining touchstone of her practice, and the Aperture text Muse, is the artist’s first to gather together her various approaches to photography, including portraits, collages, Polaroids and other processes. Her portraits, such as Afro Muse, draw from memories of her mother and the bold black-is-beautiful supermodels of the 1970s along with classical odalisques. The interior of her studio is lush and inviting, creating a portrait and setting that feels alive yet out of time.