Alma thomas
Alma Thomas was an abstract painter local to the Washington, DC area. Born in Columbus Georgia in 1891, she moved to Washington, DC with her family as a teenager. Thomas earned her B.S. in Arts from Howard University in 1924, becoming the first graduate from their Fine Arts program.
An educator at Shaw Junior High, an activist, and member of the prominent Washington Color School – Thomas was an integral figure in Washington, DC’s cultural zeitgeist.
Thomas was most known for her paintings created after she retired from her tenured career in education.
On the left: Untitled, Study for Resurrection (1966)
Her paintings first exhibited a clear mastery of color with subject matter depicting abstracted versions of objects or scenes that were situationally near her like nature or the 20th century Space Race.
On the left: Starry Night and the Astronauts (1972)
In her later years, Thomas gained recognition as one of the most important painters in the 20th Century. She was the first Black woman to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art and has a piece that is part of the permanent White House Collection.
On the left: Red Azaleas Singing and Dancing Rock and Roll Music (1976)
The Phillips Collection will be exhibiting Alma W. Thomas: Everything Is Beautiful, co-organized by The Columbus Museum and the Chrysler Museum of Art, from October 30, 2021–January 23, 2022.
On the right: Blast Off (1970)