Nigeria’s Kehinde Wiley Paints Obama’s Official Portrait

40 year-old New York-based artist, Kehinde Wiley’s portrait of former United States President, Barack Obama, has finally been unveiled.

Obama’s portrait was unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery alongside that of former first lady 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.

“How about that? That’s pretty sharp,” said Obama, who described the art as “extraordinary”. He said: “It’s my great honor to be here. It means so much to us.”

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.

The artist has painted portraits of influential hip-hop figures such as the Notorious B.I.G., LL Cool J, Big Daddy Kane, Ice T, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, and Michael Jackson, among others.