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US President Barack Obama delivers his farewell address

Source: Anadolu Agency / Getty

The Obamas have elected the artists who will paint their portraits for the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.

According to the National Portrait Gallery’s website, the former president tapped renowned New York-based artist Kehinde Wiley. The former first lady chose up-and-coming Baltimore-based artist Amy Sherald to paint her portrait.

Kehinde made it known in a couple of different interviews that he would be honored to paint the former President. He is best known for his portraits of young black men wearing the latest in street fashion, stylized in the vein of the Old Masters and set against colorful, patterned backdrops.

Sherald won a National Portrait Gallery portrait prize last year, and has a portrait in the Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History and Culture titled “Grand Dame Queenie.”

This will mark the first time that black artists were hired by the Smithsonian to create a portrait of a former president since they started commissioning portraits in 1994.

The portraits will be revealed in 2018.

Congratulations to you both!

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The Obamas Select African American Artists To Paint Their Official Portraits  was originally published on praisebaltimore.com

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