This fall, Palm Springs Art Museum invites visitors into a provocative and visually arresting conversation about how women’s bodies have been represented—and reimagined—across generations of contemporary art. Opening November 22, 2025, The Female Form: Tom Wesselmann & Mickalene Thomas from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation will be on view through April 6, 2026.
Curated by Christine Vendredi, JoAnn McGrath Executive Director of Palm Springs Art Museum, the exhibition brings together works by two influential artists whose portrayals of the female nude reflect dramatically different eras, perspectives, and cultural contexts. Supported by the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation and the Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation, the exhibition will debut with a members-only preview on Friday, November 21, followed by a public opening on Saturday, November 22.
Spanning decades of artistic production, the exhibition juxtaposes Tom Wesselmann’s iconic images of the female form from the 1960s and 1970s with Mickalene Thomas’s bold, layered, and contemporary portrayals of women of color. Together, the works explore questions of power, agency, beauty, and representation—asking viewers not only how women’s bodies are depicted, but who gets to define those narratives.
“By placing Wesselmann and Thomas in dialogue, the exhibition examines how artists from different backgrounds and eras address questions of power, representation, and agency,” said Vendredi. “This exhibition also reintroduces historical references and highlights lesser-known women artists, encouraging visitors to consider not just how women’s bodies have been depicted, but also who gets to shape those narratives.”
Wesselmann, a key figure in American Pop Art, is known for his stylized, glamorous depictions of the female nude—works that both reflect and critique the contradictions of an era shaped by shifting attitudes toward gender and sexuality. His images balance desire and detachment, offering complex reflections on beauty, control, and the male gaze during a time of cultural transformation.
In striking contrast, Mickalene Thomas—whose work has become central to contemporary conversations around race, gender, and identity—reclaims the tradition of the nude by centering women of color as confident, powerful, and self-possessed. A queer woman of color, Thomas draws from art history, popular culture, and personal experience, using rhinestones, vibrant color palettes, and layered materials to celebrate individuality and presence.
A highlight of the exhibition is Thomas’s significant new work, l’espace entre les deux, which has been shown only once before at the 2025 IFPDA Print Fair in New York. The immersive installation transforms two large gallery spaces into a living collage—constructed entirely of paper-pulp sculpture, collages, silkscreens, and three-dimensional cast paper works. Visitors will step into an environment that evokes one of Thomas’s signature living rooms, complete with plants, lamps, books, carpeting, and furniture rendered in richly textured paper forms. The result is a playful yet investigative space that blurs the line between artwork and environment, creating new conversations with the framed collages displayed throughout.
Collector Jordan D. Schnitzer, whose foundation has made the exhibition possible, emphasizes the emotional and reflective power of the artists’ work.
“Growing up surrounded by art, I learned early on that the most powerful works are the ones that make us feel, make us question and reflect,” said Schnitzer, an ARTnews Top 200 art collector. “Bringing these two artists together in one exhibition is not about comparing or contrasting. It is about creating a conversation between eras, between perspectives, and between viewers.”
Situated within the broader legacy of female representation—from Renaissance ideals to contemporary reinterpretations—The Female Form offers a timely and thought-provoking exploration of how depictions of the female body continue to evolve. Through this dynamic pairing, Palm Springs Art Museum once again positions itself at the forefront of cultural dialogue, inviting audiences to reconsider the past while engaging with the present.
Palm Springs Art Museum
The Female Form: Tom Wesselmann & Mickalene Thomas from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation
November 22, 2025 – April 6, 2026