6 things to know about the Nigerian painting Obama's presidential portrait

The gifted artist who is a New York-based portrait painter, known for his highly naturalistic paintings of black people in heroic poses, will be the first black artist to create official USA presidential portraits for the Smithsonian.

Below are six things you should know about him:

1. Wiley was born in Los Angeles, California in 1977. His father is  Ibibio from Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, and his mother is African-American.

2. Wiley, who did not grow up with his father, at the age of 20 travelled to Nigeria to explore his roots and meet him.

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3. The talented artist earned his BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1999 and his MFA from Yale University, School of Art in 2001.

4. In October 2011, Wiley received the Artist of the Year Award from the New York City Art Teachers Association/United Federation of Teachers. He also received Canteen Magazine's Artist of the Year Award. Two of Wiley's paintings were featured on the top of 500 New York City taxi cabs in early 2011 as a collaboration with the Art Production Fund.

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5. Puma AG commissioned Wiley to paint four portraits of prominent African soccer players. Patterns from his paintings were also incorporated into Puma athletic gear.

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6. His work was featured in 2015 on the Fox television series “Empire,” in the art collection of Lucious Lyon, the record label founder played by Terrence Howard.