Kehinde Wiley to paint Barack Obama’s presidential portrait
Michelle Obama, meanwhile, will be painted by Baltimore-based Amy Sherald.
New York-based artist Kehinde Wiley will paint Barack Obama's official presidential portrait, the Smithsonian has confirmed. Wiley is best known for his naturalistic portraits of black subjects in heroic poses. In the past he has painted the Notorious B.I.G., LL Cool J, Big Daddy Kane, and more.
Michelle Obama, meanwhile, has chosen Amy Sherald for her portrait. Baltimore-based Sherald is known for for the use of gray skin tones in her work and last year became the first African-American and first woman to win the National Portrait Gallery’s Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition.
Both Obama portraits will be unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery in early 2018.