Alma Thomas

 

Alma Thomas surprised the art world with her radiant abstract style developed later in life. She painted beauty inspired by geometry, nature, and science. Fascinated by astronomical phenomena, she was commissioned by NASA to create many works. Her space series painting, The Eclipse, portrays the total solar eclipse that was visible on the East Coast of the United States, March 7, 1970.

Alma Thomas, The Eclipse, 1970. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C. © 2023 Estate of Alma Thomas (Courtesy of the Hart Family) / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Alma Thomas was born in Georgia, in 1891, the oldest of four daughters. Her family moved to Washington DC in 1907 to avoid the racial violence in the South and to seek new opportunities. Her home town of Columbus, Georgia has an extensive collection of her works at the Columbus Museum of Art.

Alma Thomas, Untitled, circa 1960/1963. Columbus Museum of Art. © 2023 Estate of Alma Thomas (Courtesy of the Hart Family) / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Thomas earned her Bachelors of Science in Fine Arts in 1924 from Howard University, becoming the first graduate from the university's Fine Arts program. She also earned her Masters in Art Education from Columbia University and attended American University where she first began experimenting in the Color Field genre.

Alma Thomas, Tiptoe Through the Tulips, 1969. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. © 2023 Estate of Alma Thomas (Courtesy of the Hart Family) / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

She was an art teacher for many years, only gaining professional artist recognition post-retirement in her late 60s. At age 81, she became the first African American woman to host a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art. The Smithsonian American Art Museum now houses a vast collection of her work, including her space-themed painting, Snoopy—Early Sun Display on Earth.

Alma Thomas, Snoopy—Early Sun Display on Earth, 1970. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C. © 2023 Estate of Alma Thomas (Courtesy of the Hart Family) / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

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Her Watusi (Hard Edge) painting acknowledges Matisse's colored-paper art and pays homage to the Watusi, a popular 1960s dance craze. Along with other Thomas works, the Obamas chose Watusi (Hard Edge) for their White House décor.

Alma Thomas, Watusi (Hard Edge), 1963. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C. © 2023 Estate of Alma Thomas (Courtesy of the Hart Family) / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

The works of Alma Thomas are featured in the Art Authority Museum, a groundbreaking immersive art museum, with a collection of thousands of history’s most important artworks created by hundreds of the most significant artists of all time. The museum is available for Apple Vision Pro, Macintosh, iPad, and iPhone.