Alma Thomas American, 1891–1978
Starry Night and the Astronauts
1972
Alma Thomas's 'Starry Night and the Astronauts' (1972) celebrates the Apollo-era exploration of space with Thomas's signature mosaic of short, rhythmic brushstrokes on unprimed canvas — dabs of blue, violet, and white that suggest at once a field of stars and the pointillist vibration of a summer sky. The first African-American woman with a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum, Thomas painted this canvas in her seventies; it is a highlight of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Exhibition Venue
Image source: Art Institute of Chicago