Boston Globe

10 visual feasts at New England museums this fall

By Murray Whyte Globe Staff,

Updated September 8, 2023, 6:00 a.m.

MICKALENE THOMAS / PORTRAIT OF AN UNLIKELY SPACE

Thomas, much-celebrated for her sparkly enamel paintings embedded with rhinestones, has always had the history of Black representation close at mind, and the scenes she depicts — aggressively sexualized, often menacing — speak to an intent of reclaiming the Black female figure from the exploitations of mainstream art history. In this show, Thomas assumes the role of curator as well as artist, assembling an array of small-scale portraits of Black Americans, from early-19th-century photography to contemporary works by such artists as Curtis Talwst Santiago and Sula Bermúdez-Silverman.

Sept. 8-Jan. 7. Yale University Art Museum, 1111 Chapel St., New Haven. 203-432-0601, artgallery.yale.edu

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