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)
The Oft Forgotten Black Flower, Children of..., 2006

Hank Willis Thomas

The Oft Forgotten Black Flower, Children of..., 2006

Sale Date: November 10, 2020

Auction Closed

All Lies Matter, 2019

Hank Willis Thomas

All Lies Matter, 2019

Sale Date: October 28, 2020

Auction Closed

Black Power, 2006, 2006

Hank Willis Thomas

Black Power, 2006, 2006

Sale Date: October 28, 2020

Auction Closed

All Li es Matter, 2019

Hank Willis Thomas

All Li es Matter, 2019

Sale Date: October 7, 2020

Auction Closed

Peace, 2019

Hank Willis Thomas

Peace, 2019

Sale Date: September 30, 2020

Auction Closed

All Lies Matter, 2019

Hank Willis Thomas

All Lies Matter, 2019

Sale Date: September 16, 2020

Auction Closed

Eshu at the Crossroad, 2012

Hank Willis Thomas and Sanford Biggers

Eshu at the Crossroad, 2012

Sale Date: July 2, 2020

Auction Closed

PETEY WHEATSTRAW: THE DEVIL'S SON-IN-LAW (FROM...

Hank Willis Thomas

PETEY WHEATSTRAW: THE DEVIL'S SON-IN-LAW (FROM...

Sale Date: April 3, 2020

Auction Closed

JERMAINE CHEESEBOROUGH (FROM BEARING WITNESS), 2002

Hank Willis Thomas

JERMAINE CHEESEBOROUGH (FROM BEARING WITNESS), 2002

Sale Date: April 3, 2020

Auction Closed

KEEP THE FAITH BABY, 2014

Hank Willis Thomas

KEEP THE FAITH BABY, 2014

Sale Date: March 10, 2020

Auction Closed

Impossibly, 2013

Hank Willis Thomas

Impossibly, 2013

Sale Date: November 7, 2019

Auction Closed

IT’S THE REAL THING!, 1978–2006

Hank Willis Thomas

IT’S THE REAL THING!, 1978–2006

Sale Date: November 15, 2019

Auction Closed

Black Power, 2006

Hank Willis Thomas

Black Power, 2006

Sale Date: October 24, 2019

Auction Closed

Branded, 2003

Hank Willis Thomas

Branded, 2003

Sale Date: October 24, 2019

Auction Closed

Social Friendship (Solarized), 2019

Hank Willis Thomas

Social Friendship (Solarized), 2019

Sale Date: October 10, 2019

Auction Closed

Where the flavor is.; Never loses its cool;..., 2012

Hank Willis Thomas

Where the flavor is.; Never loses its cool;..., 2012

Sale Date: September 27, 2019

Auction Closed

We can come here anytime, 1936/2015, 2015

Hank Willis Thomas

We can come here anytime, 1936/2015, 2015

Sale Date: September 27, 2019

Auction Closed

Basketball and Chain, 2003

Hank Willis Thomas

Basketball and Chain, 2003

Sale Date: October 2, 2019

Auction Closed

LIBERATION OF T. O.: I'M NOT GOIN BACK TA'..., 2003

Hank Willis Thomas

LIBERATION OF T. O.: I'M NOT GOIN BACK TA'..., 2003

Sale Date: April 5, 2019

Auction Closed

JET PEOPLE, 2013

Hank Willis Thomas

JET PEOPLE, 2013

Sale Date: December 5, 2018

Auction Closed

Zero Hour (from Wayfarer), 2012

Hank Willis Thomas

Zero Hour (from Wayfarer), 2012

Sale Date: November 14, 2018

Auction Closed

Fair Warning: There's only one way to play..., 2012

Hank Willis Thomas

Fair Warning: There's only one way to play..., 2012

Sale Date: July 3, 2018

Auction Closed

Fair Warning: When you know what counts..., 2012

Hank Willis Thomas

Fair Warning: When you know what counts..., 2012

Sale Date: June 26, 2018

Auction Closed

Fair Warning: Never loses its cool (from..., 2012

Hank Willis Thomas

Fair Warning: Never loses its cool (from..., 2012

Sale Date: June 26, 2018

Auction Closed

English (US)

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