Kehinde Wiley
From the moment of their unveiling at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in February 2018, the museum’s official portraits of President Barack Obama and Mrs. Michelle Obama have become iconic. Kehinde Wiley’s portrait of President Obama and Amy Sherald’s portrait of the former First Lady have inspired unprecedented responses from the public.
This five-city tour will travel the country from June 2021 through May 2022 and is expected to reach millions of people who might not otherwise have an opportunity to view these remarkable paintings. In addition to the artworks themselves, The Obama Portraits Tour will feature audio-visual elements, Portrait Gallery-led teacher workshops, curatorial presentations, and a richly illustrated book (National Portrait Gallery and Princeton University Press). This special presentation will enhance the conversations surrounding the power of portraiture and its potential to engage communities.
High Museum of Art Curatorial Conversation
Taína Caragol, Dorothy Moss and Michael Rooks
Virtual Event, Thursday, February 10, 2022, 6pm EST
In celebration of the Obama portraits on display at High Museum of Art, Dorothy Moss, acting director of curatorial affairs and the coordinating curator of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative and Taína Caragol from the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC, will be in conversation with Michael Rooks, Wieland Family Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, todiscuss the process of commissioning the Obama portraits from Amy Sherald and Kehinde Wiley.
For additional information, please visit high.org
A richly illustrated book entitled The Obama Portraits (2020), co-published by the National Portrait Gallery and Princeton University Press accompanies the exhibition.
Tour Locations
The Art Institute of Chicago; Chicago—June 18, 2021–August 15, 2021
Brooklyn Museum; Brooklyn, New York—August 27, 2021–Oct. 24, 2021
Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Los Angeles—November 7, 2021–Jan. 2, 2022
High Museum of Art; Atlanta—January 14, 2022–March 13, 2022
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Houston—March 27, 2022–May 30, 2022
