The Memorial Art Gallery presents Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas, an exhibition that celebrates the exuberant artistic life of Alma Thomas, a trailblazer in twentieth-century American art. Composing Color will be on view in the museum’s Docent Gallery from Saturday, February 8, through Sunday, May 25, 2025. This exhibition invites visitors to immerse themselves in the bold and rhythmic art of Alma Thomas, whose work transcends conventional genres. Born in 1891 in Columbus, Georgia, Thomas was the first graduate of Howard University’s fine arts program and later earned a master’s degree in arts education from Columbia University. After retiring from a distinguished career as a schoolteacher, Thomas devoted herself fully to painting, creating works that would solidify her place in art history. In 1972, Thomas became the first Black woman to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art and had her first major retrospective exhibition at the Corcoran Gallery. Reflecting on her early life in the segregated South, Thomas remarked, “One of the things we couldn’t do was go into museums, let alone think of hanging our pictures there. My, times have changed. Just look at me now.” Pictured is The Eclipse by Alma Thomas, 1970, acrylic on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1978.40.3. For more information, visit https://mag.rochester.edu/exhibitions/composing-color/.
