Seattle Art Museum curator Catharina Manchanda remarked, "these women are so grounded and perfectly comfortable in their own space... While we might be looking at them, they are also sizing us up." Thomas has addressed this component of her work, saying that her intention was to direct the women's eyes boldly towards the viewer was to ensure a sense of "recognition and acknowledgement and validation" between the viewer and the subject and demonstrate how "the sitters are aware of their empowerment but also of the viewer's response to it." Thomas is known for her masterful use of unconventional materials. MoMA curator Klaus Biesenbach ,who originally commissioned the painting, explained that he requested Thomas largely because "her treatment of surfaces as complex layers of material, lacquer, rhinestone and paint corresponds with the libidinous nature of the contents she depicts." Some critics and viewers have alleged that the nature of the painting– sensual women being exhibited for an audience– serves to exploit the women represented in the piece. The majority of critics, however, see the painting as an active challenge to such exploitation and Blaxploitation. Since the original installment of this painting wherein the piece was exhibited as an individual item, "Le déjeuner sur l'herbe: Les Trois Femmes Noires" has been included in exhibits at the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Seattle Art Museum, and the Baltimore Museum of Art. The reception of the piece when displayed as a portion of a larger exhibit is largely positive, and the piece is often described as a work that sparks timely conversation regarding blackness, representation, sexuality, and identity.