The Obama Portraits Tour

At the Museum of FIne Arts, Boston

By: MFA - Feb 09, 2022

L): Barack Obama by Kehinde Wiley, oil on canvas, 2018. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. © 2018 Kehinde Wiley. Courtesy of Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. (R): Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama by Amy Sherald, oil on linen, 2018.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), presents the portraits of former President Barack Obama and Mrs. Michelle Obama by artists Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald, respectively, as part of The Obama Portraits Tour organized by the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. The paintings will be on view in the Lois B. and Michael K. Torf Gallery from September 3 through October 30, 2022. To celebrate the portraits’ debut at the MFA, the Museum will engage community partners on a collaborative art-making project that will be presented in conjunction with the exhibition—creating a unique moment for Boston audiences to respond to these captivating paintings of the former President and First Lady, and explore the evolving dynamics of leadership.

“Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald are visionary artists whose paintings both pay homage to and reimagine the centuries-old tradition of American portraiture, which has strong roots in Boston. It is an honor for us to host their Obama portraits at the MFA and to offer New England audiences a chance to experience these powerful works of art,” said Matthew Teitelbaum, Ann and Graham Gund Director.