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The Obamas visit Houston

See “The Obama Portraits Tour” at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

(L) Barack Obama by Kehinde Wiley, 2018, oil on canvas, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. © 2018 Kehinde Wiley. (R) Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (detail) by Amy Sherald, 2018, oil on linen, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. The National Portrait Gallery is grateful to the generous donors who made these commissions possible and proudly recognizes them at npg.si.edu/obamaportraitstour.
Credit: (L) Barack Obama by Kehinde Wiley, 2018, oil on canvas, © 2018 Kehinde Wiley. (R) Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (detail) by Amy Sherald, 2018, oil on linen. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.

By the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

On Sunday, April 3, The Obama Portraits Tour opened at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Thousands of Houstonians welcomed the official portraits of President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama at a “Sunday Best” celebration. The event featured musical performances, including Texas Southern University’s Ocean of Soul marching band, and remarks from U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, a close acquaintance of the Obamas. As the most diverse city in the nation, Houston is the ideal location to display these portraits and to celebrate the historic occasion.

“The MFAH is excited to provide our visitors the opportunity to experience the power and beauty of these celebrated works.”

— Gary Tinterow, Director and Margaret Alkek Williams Chair, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee presents Dr. Anita Bateman, associate curator for Modern and Contemporary, with a Proclamation from the U.S. House of Representatives declaring April 3. The Obama Portraits Tour Day. Photo courtesy of Frank Hernandez.
Credit: U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee presents Dr. Anita Bateman, associate curator for Modern and Contemporary, with a Proclamation from the U.S. House of Representatives declaring April 3. The Obama Portraits Tour Day. Photo courtesy of Frank Hernandez
Texas Southern University’s Ocean of Soul Marching Band kicks off the event with an opening performance. Photo courtesy of Frank Hernandez.
Credit: Texas Southern University’s Ocean of Soul Marching Band kicks off the event with an opening performance. Photo courtesy of Frank Hernandez.
Houstonians gather at the Brown Foundation Inc. Plaza to hear opening remarks. Photo courtesy of Frank Hernandez.
Credit: Houstonians gather at the Brown Foundation Inc. Plaza to hear opening remarks. Photo courtesy of Frank Hernandez.

The paintings, commissioned by the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, are the first official presidential portraits by African American artists. With these two works of art, Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald re-envisioned the centuries-long tradition of representing political leaders.

Houstonians in Cullinan Hall to take pictures of the portraits. Photo courtesy of Frank Hernandez.
Credit: Houstonians in Cullinan Hall to take pictures of the portraits. Photo courtesy of Frank Hernandez.

Historically, presidential paintings are traditional and conservative. Wiley and Sherald deviated from that custom, adding a contemporary twist to the portraits and personalizing them to share the Obamas’ identities and legacies. Wiley placed Barack Obama against a backdrop of colorful flowers, each representing an important part of the president’s identity, childhood, and cultural background. Sherald’s depiction of Michelle Obama’s dress, by Milly designer Michelle Smith, carries meaning as well, referring to both the Modernist traditions of abstract art and the patterned quilts of Gee’s Bend.

Through the presentation of these now-iconic portraits by Wiley and Sherald, the exhibition contemplates how portraiture has given visual form to ideas of power, identity, status, and legacy throughout history.

Mother and Daughter posing in front of a floral backdrop inspired by Kehinde Wiley's "Barack Obama." Photo courtesy of Frank Hernandez.
Credit: Mother and Daughter posing in front of a floral backdrop inspired by Kehinde Wiley's "Barack Obama." Photo courtesy of Frank Hernandez.

Picture yourself at the MFAH this spring. See the acclaimed paintings in person, before they travel to the de Young Museum in San Francisco (June 18 to August 14) and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (September 3 to October 30). The Obama Portraits Tour is on view in Houston for a limited time—only through Memorial Day, May 30. The exhibition is included with general admission. Advance timed tickets are recommended, so plan your visit and buy your general admission tickets early at mfah.org/tickets to secure your preferred time slot.