Hank Willis Thomas

(American, born 1976)

Hank Willis Thomas is a contemporary American artist best known for his photography and appropriation art that considers racial identity through the lens of advertising and popular culture. Critic Arwa Mahadawi of The Guardian described Thomas’ work as un-branding “advertising: stripping away the commercial context, and leaving the exposed image to speak for itself.” He is most famed for his oeuvre Branded Series, among which is the dynamic piece Black Power (2006), depicting a smiling African-American man with the phrase “Black Power” overlaid in a gold and diamond grill on his teeth. Born on March 17, 1976 in Plainfield, NJ, Thomas went on study at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he received a BFA in photography and Africana studies, later receiving his MFA in photography from the California College of the Arts in Oakland. His work is in the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, among others, and he has been a professor at MFA programs at Yale University and the Maryland Institute College of Art. Thomas lives and works in New York, NY.

Hank Willis Thomas News

Art & Exhibitions

Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz Triumph as Art World 'Giants'

by Min Chen
Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz Triumph as Art World 'Giants'
What I Buy and Why

Philanthropist Pete Scantland Goes Running With Artists and Dreams of Camping Out at the Met

by Lee Carter
Philanthropist Pete Scantland Goes Running With Artists and Dreams of Camping Out at the Met
What I Buy and Why

Philanthropist Jordan Schnitzer on the Joy of Sharing His Collection and the Art He Wakes Up to Every Day

by Lee Carter
Philanthropist Jordan Schnitzer on the Joy of Sharing His Collection and the Art He Wakes Up to Every Day

Hank Willis Thomas Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Hank Willis Thomas (186 results)
All Li es Matter., 2019

Hank Willis Thomas

All Li es Matter., 2019

Sale Date: November 16, 2023

Auction Closed

All Lies Matter, 2019

Hank Willis Thomas

All Lies Matter, 2019

Sale Date: October 26, 2023

Auction Closed

History is Past, Past is Present, 2017

Hank Willis Thomas

History is Past, Past is Present, 2017

Sale Date: October 24, 2023

Auction Closed

Gold Dust Tub, 2011

Hank Willis Thomas

Gold Dust Tub, 2011

Sale Date: October 19, 2023

Auction Closed

Baron of the Crossroads, 2012

Hank Willis Thomas

Baron of the Crossroads, 2012

Sale Date: October 11, 2023

Auction Closed

All Lies Matter, 2019

Hank Willis Thomas

All Lies Matter, 2019

Sale Date: October 3, 2023

Auction Closed

126 Hundred Dollar Bills (Black), 2019

Hank Willis Thomas

126 Hundred Dollar Bills (Black), 2019

Sale Date: September 29, 2023

Auction Closed

Love Over Rules, 2020

Hank Willis Thomas

Love Over Rules, 2020

Sale Date: July 26, 2023

Auction Closed

All Lies Matter, 2019

Hank Willis Thomas

All Lies Matter, 2019

Sale Date: July 19, 2023

Auction Closed

All Li es Matter., 2019

Hank Willis Thomas

All Li es Matter., 2019

Sale Date: June 8, 2023

Auction Closed

Sophiatown (gold and black on black), 2018

Hank Willis Thomas

Sophiatown (gold and black on black), 2018

Sale Date: May 16, 2023

Auction Closed

The Sword Swallower, 2017

Hank Willis Thomas

The Sword Swallower, 2017

Sale Date: May 16, 2023

Auction Closed

All Deliberate Speed, 2018

Hank Willis Thomas

All Deliberate Speed, 2018

Sale Date: May 19, 2023

Auction Closed

Our Enemies Are Like Fish Caught in Dragnet, , 2017

Hank Willis Thomas

Our Enemies Are Like Fish Caught in Dragnet, , 2017

Sale Date: May 12, 2023

Auction Closed

Decagon (from Frameworks), 2014

Hank Willis Thomas

Decagon (from Frameworks), 2014

Sale Date: May 2, 2023

Auction Closed

Basketball and Chain, 2003

Hank Willis Thomas

Basketball and Chain, 2003

Sale Date: May 1, 2023

Auction Closed

All Li es Matter, 2019

Hank Willis Thomas

All Li es Matter, 2019

Sale Date: April 26, 2023

Auction Closed

All Li es Matter, 2019

Hank Willis Thomas

All Li es Matter, 2019

Sale Date: April 21, 2023

Auction Closed

All Lies Matter, 2019

Hank Willis Thomas

All Lies Matter, 2019

Sale Date: April 20, 2023

Auction Closed

Love Over Rules, 2020

Hank Willis Thomas

Love Over Rules, 2020

Sale Date: April 19, 2023

Auction Closed

All Li es Matter., 2019

Hank Willis Thomas

All Li es Matter., 2019

Sale Date: April 6, 2023

Auction Closed

Love Over Rules., 2019

Hank Willis Thomas

Love Over Rules., 2019

Sale Date: April 6, 2023

Auction Closed

Resting., 2016

Hank Willis Thomas

Resting., 2016

Sale Date: April 6, 2023

Auction Closed

All Lies Matter, 2019

Hank Willis Thomas

All Lies Matter, 2019

Sale Date: March 15, 2023

Auction Closed

English (US)

©2024 Artnet Worldwide Corporation. All rights reserved.