Barack and Michelle Obama are leaving Washington and going on tour — well, their portraits are at least.
Beginning June 2021, the portraits of the Obamas will leave the National Portrait Gallery in Washington to go on a tour of expositions in five cities across the USA. The last stop of this tour will land in Houston for a two-month long exhibition. [Featured image: @artmuseny]
From March 25th to May 30, 2022, the Museum of Fine Arts Houston will exhibit the emblematic portraits of the former president and first lady.
Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald are the portraits’ artists, respectively, hand-selected by the Obamas. They were also the first Black artists to have their works showcased in the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.
Through this five-city tour, millions of Americans who might not otherwise have the resources to visit Washington will be able to catch these artworks in a museum nearby. The tour also includes Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and Atlanta — all cities that hold particular significance to the Obamas as well as the artists.
