Artist Pubs
Alma Woodsey Thomas

Alma Woodsey Thomas (1891 - 1978) was active/lived in District Of Columbia.  Alma Thomas is known for Non objective-optical imagery painting, teaching.

Biography photo for Alma Woodsey Thomas
Known for her exuberantly colorful canvases filled with abstract shapes and patterns, Alma W. Thomas had her first one-woman show at the age of 68, after retiring from a thirty-five year teaching career.  She accomplished many 'firsts' in her lifetime: in 1924, she was the first graduate of the Fine Art Department of Howard University; in 1934, the first African-American woman to gain a Master's degree in art from Columbia University; and, 1972, when she was 80, she was the first African-American woman to have a solo show at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Thomas was born and raised in Columbus, Georgia.  In 1907 she moved with her family to Washington, D.C., into the house where she spent the remaining seven decades of her life.  After graduating from high school, where she excelled at art, Thomas earned a teaching certificate and, later, a master's degree in art education.  Throughout her life, Thomas concentrated on her art; she paint   ...  [Displaying 1000 of 16052 characters.]  Artist bio

Artist auction records

.  askART's database currently holds 158 auction lots for Alma Woodsey Thomas (of which 143 auction records sold and 0 are upcoming at auction.)

Artist artworks for sale and wanted

.  There are 0 artworks for sale on our website by galleries and art dealers . There are 9 galleries and art dealers listing works of art by Alma Woodsey Thomas as either "Wanted" or "For Sale" .

Research resources

.  askART lists Alma Woodsey Thomas in 4 of its research Essays. Alma Woodsey Thomas has 12 artist signature examples available in our database.

Similar artists

.  There are 24 similar (related) artists for Alma Woodsey Thomas available:    Hale Aspacio Woodruff,  Charles Henry Alston,  Norman Wilfred Lewis,  Beauford Delaney,  Betye Irene (Brown) Saar,  Lois Mailou Jones,  Bob (Robert Louis) Thompson,  Aaron Douglas,  Benny Andrews,  Sam Gilliam Jr,  Richmond Barthe,  Augusta Christine Fells (Moore) Savage,  Charles Wilbert White,  Hughie Lee-Smith,  Richard Mayhew,  John Anansa Thomas Biggers,  Eldzier Cortor,  Romare Howard Bearden,  Palmer Cole (Hedgeman) Hayden,  Joseph Samuel Delaney,  Elizabeth Catlett,  Richard Pousette-Dart,  Edward Clark,  Jacob Armstead Lawrence



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Facts about Alma Woodsey Thomas

   Publications  Book References:  43
Magazine References:  3

The listed publications are derived from what askART has identified from our research for this artist and are intended as an additional tool for information. askART has derived Publications as an aid to members, but it is not necessarily a complete list.
3 Miscellaneous Magazine References for Alma Woodsey Thomas
Magazine Article Date Author Color
ARTnews The Rise of African American Art September 2003 Kinsella, Eileen Yes
Art in America Alma Thomas's Late Blossoms January 2002 Fyfe, Joe Yes
ARTnews Reviews December 2001 Editor, ARTNews Yes
43 Book References for Alma Woodsey Thomas
Year Author Title Pages Color
2018 Blackman, Lynne (Editor), The Johnson Collection Central to Their Lives: Southern Women Artists in the Johnson Collection 245 Yes
2008 Holladay, Wilhelmina Cole A Museum of Their Own: National Museum of Women in the Arts 240 Yes
2005 AskART.com Inc. -
Dunbier, Lonnie Pierson (Editor)
The Artists Bluebook 34,000 North American Artists to March 2005 479 No
2005 Davenport, Ray Davenport's Art Reference: The Gold Edition 2421 No
2003 Herskovic, Marika (editor) American Abstract Expressionism of the 1950s: An Illustrated Survey 372 Yes
2001 Thomas, Alma Alma Thomas, Phantasmagoria: Major Paintings from the 1970s 0 Yes
1999 Falk, Peter Hastings (Editor) Who Was Who in American Art, 1564-1975: Three Volumes 3724 No
1999 Passantino, Erika D (editor) The Eye of Duncan Phillips A Collection in the Making 819 Yes
1998 Editor, Fort Wayne Museum of Art Alma W. Thomas: A Retrospective of the Paintings
(Exhibition catalog)
0 Yes
1998 Taha, Halima Collecting African American Art Works on Paper and Canvas 270 Yes
1997 Powell, Richard J Black Art and Culture in the 20th Century 256 Yes
1996 Barbara and Peter Toohil Accents on Artists A fact-filled pronunciation guide. Over 800 artist’s names you should know… 363 Yes
1996 McMahan, Virgil E The Artists of Washington DC 1796-1996 240 No
1995 Heller, Jules and Nancy G. Heller North American Women Artists of the Twentieth Century A Biographical Dictionary 612 No
1994 Bailey, Brooke The Remarkable Lives Of 100 Women Artists 207 No
1994 San Antonio Museum of Art African American Art
(Exhibition catalog)
67 Yes
1993 Bearden, Romare/Harry Henderson A History-African-American Artists From 1792 to the Present 542 Yes
1993 Perry, Regina A Free Within Ourselves: African-American Artists in the Collection of the National Museum of American Art 203 Yes
1992 National Gallery of Art American Paintings An Illustrated Catalogue
(Exhibition catalog)
545 No
1989 McElroy, Guy C (others) African American Artists 1880-1987 Selections from the Evans-Tibbs Collection 125 Yes
1988 Rosen, Randy, et al Making Their Mark: Women Artists Move Into the Mainstream 300 Yes
1987 National Museum of Women National Mus of Women in the Arts 253 Yes
1986 Zellman, Michael David 300 Years of American Art (two volumes) 1102 Yes
1985 Petteys, Chris with Hazel Gustow, Ferris Olin and Verna Ritchie Dictionary of Women Artists: An International Dictionary of Women Artists Born Before 1900 851 No
1982 Rubinstein, Charlotte Streifer American Women Artists from Early Times to the Present 560 Yes
1981 Foresta, Merry A Alma Thomas A Life in Art
(Exhibition catalog)
56 Yes
1981 Foresta, Merry A. A Life in Art: Alma Thomas, 1891-1978 0 Yes
1979 Brooklyn Museum American Paintings/Brooklyn Museum Complete Illustrated Listing of Works 133 Yes
1979 Withers, Josephine Women Artists in Washington Collections
(Exhibition catalog)
144 Yes
1976 Driskell, David C Two Centuries of Black American Art
(Exhibition catalog)
221 Yes
1976 Jaques Cattell Press Who's Who in American Art, 1976 12th Edition 756 No
1976 Munro, Eleanor Originals:American Women Artists 528 Yes
1975 Driskell, David C Amistad II Afro-American Art
(Exhibition catalog)
92 No
1974 Baur, John I H Whitney Museum of American Art Catalogue of the Collection 235 Yes
1973 Cederholm, Theresa Dickason Afro-American Artists: A Bio-Bibliographical Directory 348 No
1973 Fine, Elsa Honig The Afro-American Artist A Search for Identity 310 Yes
1973 Jaques Cattell Press Who's Who in American Art, 1973 927 No
1971 Atkinson, J Edward Black Dimensions in Contemporary American Art 127 Yes
1971 Doty, Robert Contemporary Black Artists in America (Whitney Museum of American Art)
(Exhibition catalog)
64 Yes
1970 National Cent/Afro-Am Artists Afro-American Artists New York and Boston
(Exhibition catalog)
80 No
1969 Greene, Carrol, Curator; Roy Wilkins, Introduction Twelve Afro-American Artists (Lee Nordness Gallery)
(Exhibition catalog)
36 Yes
1961 Capitol Hill Community Council Community Art Show Guide and Catalog
(Exhibition catalog)
112 No
1960 Dover, Cedric American Negro Art 186 Yes
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