Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama unveiled their first official joint portrait ahead of the opening of the Obama Presidential Center Museum in Chicago.
Titled “The Obamas: Springing Forth, 2026,” the painting was created by Los Angeles-based artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby, The Obama Foundation said in a press release on Monday, June 15.
In a video the foundation posted to YouTube, the former first couple was shown getting their first glimpse of the portrait.
“Before we get any commentary in, we’ve just got to soak it in,” President Obama told Akunyili Crosby as she stood next to the painting.
“It’s us and all the stories within the stories,” Mrs. Obama said. “It is beautiful.”
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President Obama quipped that the artist should have dyed his hair in the painting, instead of leaving it gray. “Don’t they usually touch it up a little bit?” he said jokingly.
Akunyili Crosby explained her approach to creating the artwork.
“I did the drawing first of the two of you. We read all your books. We listened to all the interviews you have done, podcasts and videos,” the artist said, noting that she wanted to get to know the couple.
Akunyili Crosby was born in Enugu, Nigeria in 1983. She moved to the U.S. as a teenager, and has remained here since then.
Her website says she specializes in creating “densely layered figurative compositions.” Her work has been displayed in solo exhibitions at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles (2015) and the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, Florida (2016).
The new painting was based on a photograph she took of the Obamas. Akunyili Crosby added key moments from their lives to the painting, by tapping into archival images and pictures from family albums.
The portrait is on display in the main lobby of the museum.
“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,” President Obama shared in a statement on social media.
The Obama Presidential Center Museum looks back at the life and legacy of the nation’s 44th president. The center’s 19.3 acre campus is located in Chicago’s historic Jackson Park.
The campus will be open daily and is free. The dedication ceremony takes place on Thursday, June 18, and will stream live on the center’s website. The center opens to the public on Juneteenth, June 19.
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