Obama portrait

The unveiling of Barack and Michelle Obama's official White House portraits marked the return of a tradition that was on pause during the Trump ...

The Obamas’ Smithsonian portraits, painted by Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald, were unveiled at the museum in 2018 — about 13 months after Obama left office — and made a splash for their distinctive styles and bold colors. In his time in office, Donald Trump hosted no events at the White House for Obama, whom he accused — without evidence — of Ford at the unveiling of Ford's portrait.

President Joe Biden opened his speech at the ceremony in the East Room of the White House with praise for the Obamas and their legacy.

The portrait unveiling is a decadeslong tradition, going back to 1978 when President Jimmy Carter invited his immediate predecessor, Gerald Ford, back to the White House. The Obamas joined the Bidens in the East Room for the reveal of the portraits, which were acquired and commissioned by the White House Historical Association. The portrait is reminiscent of Sprung’s other paintings that typically feature a jewel-like color palette.

An artist known for his photorealistic oil paintings created the official White House portrait of former President Barack Obama.

McCurdy said Barack Obama was "very present and easy to work with" when sitting for the dozens of photographs taken as a template. Traditionally, the portraits of the two most recent presidents hang in the entrance hall. McLaurin said the artists for Trump's portrait, and that of former first lady Melania Trump, have been chosen. “A girl like me, she was never supposed to be up there next to Jacqueline Kennedy and Dolly Madison,” Michelle Obama said as she spoke Wednesday in a White House room where the walls are hung with the portraits of George and Martha Washington. As in the painting of his son, George H. Biden had the rare opportunity of hosting his former boss for the unveiling ceremony. His depiction of Hillary Clinton features the china she selected to celebrate the White House’s 200th anniversary as well as a copy of her book, “It Takes a Village: And Other Lessons Children Teach Us.” During Bush’s administration, the painting hung in the Treaty Room, the second-floor room in the White House that Bush used as a private study. When the White House reached out to him, it saved McCurdy the trouble of asking. "And I think that we'll see more of this flavor of representation in our future presidents." [podcast interview](https://www.whitehousehistory.org/the-white-house-1600-sessions) with the White House Historical Association, which oversees the portrait process. [Robert McCurdy](http://robertmccurdy.com/home.html), the artist Obama chose for his portrait, is known for his photorealistic oil paintings with unusually sparse backgrounds in which the subject holds no props, makes no gestures and doesn't smile.

In a break with tradition, there was no ceremony while former President Donald J. Trump held office. President Biden unveiled the Obama portraits: his by ...

Mr. Obama said that Mr. “That was definitely new,” Mr. Biden and Mr. In working with Mr. When Mr. In Mr. But Mr. The animosity between Mr. It is not clear whether Mr. “Welcome home!” Mr. “It is great to be back,” Mr.

In a White House ceremony, the Bidens unveiled a painting of the former president by Robert McCurdy and a portrait of Michelle Obama by Sharon Sprung.

More traditional portrait artists stand to the side of that milieu, a bit suspect because the medium is so old, so dependent on traditional craft and skill, and often intimately connected to the world of finance and power. President Donald Trump, who should have hosted the Obama portrait unveiling years ago, refused to have the couple — or their likenesses — in the White House, an act of erasure and contempt that prefigured his far more public snub of President Biden when he refused to attend his inauguration. This is about filling in two gaps in a chain of images since the founding of the nation. By choosing Wiley and Sherald, the Obamas highlighted the work of two African American artists with substantial careers in the contemporary art world. Her expression is about as inscrutable as that of her husband’s, but the effect is more accessible. Traditional portraits are commissioned by politicians, corporations, universities and other public bodies, and those artists often work under significant pressure not just to render a good likeness, but also to create an object that fits the aesthetic of where it will hang — the boardroom, the judicial chamber, the halls of Congress or academe. The portrait of Michelle Obama, by New York artist Sharon Sprung, is softer, more colorful and relaxed. The new portraits are more traditional than the ones commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery. The effect is to tell us almost nothing about the man, beyond the salient fact that he must have wanted to tell us nothing about himself. [Lansdowne Portrait of George Washington](https://npg.si.edu/object/npg_NPG.2001.13), by Gilbert Stuart, which presided over the festivities in the East Room. And the legacy was more than just the policies, treaties and laws passed under the Obama administration. A cynic would say this was just a standard Washington partisan event, but it may turn out that the ceremony was more meaningful than the images unveiled.

The former president and first lady returned to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Wednesday to unveil their new presidential portraits, which will adorn the White House ...

and First Lady [Jill](https://www.tmz.com/people/jill-biden/) said revealing the portraits is an honor. Barack and Michelle want the paintings to inspire folks from all walks of life ... Barack was in a great mood, making everyone laugh and smile ... While Barack mostly kept it fun, Michelle made a powerful speech. [Barack](https://www.tmz.com/people/barack-obama/) and [Michelle Obama](https://www.tmz.com/people/michelle-obama/) are back in the White House ... Barack and Michelle Obama White House Portraits Revealed ...

There are few people I've ever known with more integrity, decency, and moral courage than Barack Obama. (Applause.) And, Mr. President, nothing could have ...

(Applause.) (Laughter.) (Applause.) Thank you. (Laughter and applause.) So — (laughs). (Laughter.) You did a good job. (Laughter.) Let’s say it again: Second Gentleman. (Applause.) I know I couldn’t. (Laughter.) But there is still time. (Laughter.) He captures every wrinkle on your face, every crease in your shirt. (Laughs.) (Laughter.) We will try not to tear up the place. (Applause.) It’s good to — it’s good to see you again, Mom.

Former President Bill Clinton and first lady Hillary Clinton stand by their official White House portraits during the unveiling event hosted by President George ...

When his portrait – which hangs in the presidential mansion alongside his counterparts throughout history – was unveiled, Clinton yearned for an earlier age. “Bill Clinton loved the job of the presidency. And if Trump or another hardline Republican wins the White House next, Biden could be kept waiting, too. Yet, to no one’s surprise, Obama’s portrait dedication didn’t happen during his successor’s White House term; ex-President Donald Trump had no interest in sharing the presidential limelight with anyone. Bush – an ex-World War II pilot, US representative to China, CIA chief, vice president and President – for an “entire lifetime of public service.” Bush was gracious in return. Generally, the portrait ceremony takes place during the succeeding presidency – typically a lighthearted affair to show bipartisanship and continuity across party lines.

When is a dress not just a dress? When it's part of a painting meant for posterity.

As the designer Thom Browne (who made the dress and coat Mrs. Obama’s bare arms (a rarity in first lady portraits — you have to go back to Lady Bird Johnson in 1968 to find a first lady exposing any arm) reflects the way Mrs. Obama wore in the 2013 inaugural parade) told The dress, for example, is by Jason Wu, the Taiwanese-Canadian designer who is a New York Fashion Week stalwart and who rose to fame as the creator of Mrs. Koop said she had prepped the look in January 2017, just before the transfer of power. Relaxed, but with a coiled energy and a sense of the portent of the office. Obama since her time in the White House. Obama said in the portrait unveiling, “there’s a place for everyone in this country.” Obama’s first and second inaugural ball gowns (and the dress she wore to her husband’s farewell presidential address in Chicago). Clinton in a pantsuit and Mrs. More relaxed and more romantic than the portraits of her immediate predecessors — Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush were captured standing, buttoned-up and wearing black (Mrs. Obama’s painting, by the photorealist artist Robert McCurdy, depicts the president in a dark suit, white shirt and silver tie against a white background, jacket buttoned, hands in his pockets, looking straight at the viewer.