National Women's Month: Alma Thomas

Continuing our appreciation for women painters during Women’s History Month, Alma Thomas (1891-1978) is a personal favorite and a Washingtonian! 

Alma Thomas didn’t launch her full-time art career until her late 60s — and then she changed everything.

A leading figure of the Washington Color School, she created shimmering color-field canvases inspired by nature and music. Her firsts speak for themselves: first graduate of Howard University’s Department of Art (1924), first Black female artist with a solo show at the Whitney (1972), and — posthumously — the first Black woman in the White House’s permanent collection.

A true late bloomer. A towering legacy.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

The painting featured here, Red Azaleas Singing and Dancing Rock and Roll Music (1976, acrylic on canvas) was the largest painting of her career, and was photographed by yours truly at the International Society of Appraisers Assets Conference 2025 in Washington DC at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.