Mickalene Thomas is a New York-based artist known for her elaborate paintings adorned with rhinestones, enamel and colorful acrylics.  Mickalene Thomas: The Origin of the Universe is the first monograph on the artist and accompanied her first solo museum exhibition in the United States.  It features a wide array of full-color reproductions of her work across media--including photo collages and provocative landscapes, along with an interview with the artist and critical texts that elucidate her paintings' investigations of femininity, sexuality and power, and provide extensive context for her oeuvre as a whole. Hardcover, 80 pages.