On Monday, portraits of former President and former First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama, were unveiled at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C.
The Obamas’ hand-selected Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald, both African-American artists, to paint their portraits. Wiley and Sherald break boundaries as the first black artists to create official presidential portraits for the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.
Barack Obama’s portrait done by Wiley, displays the 44th President sitting down in a chair behind a meaningful green floral background. The chrysanthemums in the portrait represent the official flower of the Obamas’ hometown of Chicago; Jasmine for Obama’s birth state of Hawaii; and African Blue Lilies in honor his late Kenyan father.
Michelle Obama’s portrait done by Sherald, is a grayscale painting of the former First Lady perched behind a blue background, wearing a white floor-length gown with splashes of color.
At the unveiling ceremony, Mr. Obama recalled working with Wiley “a great joy,” and told Sherald after seeing his wife’s portrait,
“Amy, I want to thank you for so spectacularly capturing the grace and beauty and intelligence and charm and hotness of the woman I love.”
Mrs. Obama also chimed in with a heartfelt message,
“I’m also thinking about all of the young people, particularly girls and girls of color. Who in years ahead will come to this place and they will look up and they will see an image of someone who looks like them hanging on the wall.”
Viewing of the portraits will be open to the public on Tuesday, February 13.
