Nigerian artist, Kehinde Wiley paints portrait of ex-US President, Barack Obama
By Patricia Uyeh,
40-year-old New York-based Nigerian artist, Kehinde Wiley is the man behind the newly unveiled portrait of former US president, Barack Obama.
Obama’s portrait was unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery alongside that of his wife, Michelle Obama.
The paintings were revealed Monday at the gallery, which is part of the Smithsonian group of museums. The gallery has a complete collection of presidential portraits.
Kehinde Wiley, born to a Nigerian father and an African American mother, is world-renowned for his portraits of young black men adorned in the latest in hip-hop street style that includes Notorious B.I.G., LL Cool J, Big Daddy Kane, Ice T, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, and Michael Jackson, among others.
Photo credit: Quartz
