Kehinde Wiley’s portrait of President Barack Obama and Amy Sherald’s portrait of former First Lady Michelle Obama have become iconic since the moment they were unveiled in 2018. A striking departure from earlier presidential portraits and images of first ladies, the two paintings have inspired unprecedented responses from the public.
Wiley and Sherald are the first African Americans commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery to create official portraits of a president and first lady. Their distinctive artistic visions are rooted in the tradition of American portraiture but committed to making space for people of color. Through their portraits, which are at once extraordinary and approachable, audiences can see themselves in President Obama and the former First Lady.
The seventh and final stop on a US tour that began in June 2021, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, is thrilled to offer audiences in New England and throughout the world a chance to experience in person these works of art exploring power, identity, and legacy throughout history.