Kehinde Wiley to paint official presidential portrait

omotolani

October 17, 2017 11:02 AM

Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald will be the first black artists to create official USA presidential portraits for the Smithsonian.

Former president of the United States of America, Barack Obama has chosen Nigerian-American painter, Kehinde Wiley to paint his portrait.

Following a tradition that dates back to America's 41st president, George H. Bush, the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery commissions an artist to create a portrait of the president and the first lady after their tenure.

Kehinde is known for creating incredibly naturalistic paintings of everyday black men and women in the style of Tiziano Vecellio and Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.

His work replaces the European aristocrats typically depicted in those paintings with contemporary black subjects.

He has also painted a couple iconic musicians including Notorious B.I.G., LL Cool J, Big Daddy Kane, Ice T, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Michael Jackson, and others.

America's former first lady Michelle Obama also chose Baltimore-based painter Amy Sherald to capture her likeness, which makes Kehinde and Amy the first black artists to create official presidential portraits for the Smithsonian.

The portraits will be unveiled next year.

omotolani