Confident and self-aware, the women Thomas depicts are powerful protagonists in control of how they are portrayed. This work is part of a series that considers little-known paintings of Black women by modern artists. The composition was inspired by Édouard Manet’s La négresse (also known as Portrait of Laure, 1862), which was painted in preparation for the figure of the maid in his iconic Olympia (1863). Thomas obtained the subtitle from Manet’s description of his subject. Rooted in her desire to represent Black women on their own terms, Thomas’s portrait of Qusuquzah, who frequently models for the artist, celebrates the beauty of Black trans womanhood.
Please note that artwork locations are subject to change, and not all works are on view at all times. If you are planning a visit to SFMOMA to see a specific work of art, we suggest you contact us at collections@sfmoma.org to confirm it will be on view.
Only a portion of SFMOMA's collection is currently online, and the information presented here is subject to revision. Please contact us at collections@sfmoma.org to verify collection holdings and artwork information. If you are interested in receiving a high resolution image of an artwork for educational, scholarly, or publication purposes, please contact us at copyright@sfmoma.org.
This resource is for educational use and its contents may not be reproduced without permission. Please review our Terms of Use for more information.
