Meet Njideka Akunyili Crosby, the Artist Behind the Obamas New Portrait
The Obama Presidential Center unveiled the official portrait of the former first president and first lady on Monday
The Obamas have always been forward-thinking when it comes to their official portraits. President Barack Obama famously commissioned his National Portrait Gallery canvas from Kehinde Wiley. Michelle Obama’s likewise iconic first lady portrayal was an Amy Sherald commission. Their latest selection is no exception. Titled, The Obamas: Springing Forth, it was presented to the public early this week. The grand-scale couple painting presented this week at the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago is the work of Njideka Akunyili Crosby, one of the foremost figurative artists working today.
Measuring nine by 12 feet, the monumental portrait shows Barack and Michelle Obama seated before a window with the former first lady’s childhood home in the background. On closer inspection, details from the Obamas’ stories populate the background: the Martin Luther King Jr. bust that he kept in the Oval Office, the Stevie Wonder album that was the first she ever owned.
Born in Nigeria in 1983, Njideka Akunyili Crosby is the recipient of a MacArthur fellowship and is represented by Victoria Miro Gallery and David Zwirner Gallery, and has work in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Tate. She studied at Swarthmore College, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and Yale University. Her hallmark is using her work to create a tapestry of memory, historical recall, and cherished personal references. She frequently juxtaposes quiet domestic moments with colorful photo collage.
“It was great joining Njideka Akunyili Crosby—a gifted Nigerian-born, Los Angeles-based artist—to unveil our first portrait together,” the former president shared on social media, continuing, “This piece reflects so many chapters of Michelle and my story, and we’re thrilled that it will be on display in the Hope and Change lobby at the Obama Presidential Center starting this Juneteenth.”
The painting is on view in the building’s Hope and Change Lobby, where the public can view it without a ticket.