Kehinde Wiley

Why this artist matters now

Kehinde Wiley paints large-scale, naturalistic portraits of Black subjects, directly transposing the compositional conventions of Old Master painting onto contemporary African American men. Ornate floral backgrounds, borrowed poses, and the formal grandeur of European portraiture are reframed to confer authority and visibility on figures historically excluded from that tradition. His commission for the official portrait of President Barack Obama, held in the Smithsonian Institution's National Portrait Gallery, brought his practice to its widest public audience. The Columbus Museum of Art has described his paintings as heroic portraits addressing the image and status of young African American men in contemporary culture.

Source: Sean Kelly · Trust score: 100% · Updated 2mo ago