Former United States President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama have unveiled a new portrait created by renowned Nigerian-American artist Njideka Akunyili-Crosby for the Obama Presidential Centre in Chicago.
Michelle Obama shared the artwork on social media platform X, posting a video of Akunyili-Crosby unveiling the piece commissioned for the Obama Presidential Centre, a museum, library and educational facility dedicated to preserving and promoting Barack Obama’s legacy. The centre is scheduled to open to the public on June 19.
Expressing her admiration for the artwork, Michelle Obama praised the artist’s creativity and the emotional depth captured in the portrait.
“Barack and I were so honored to have @AkunyiliCrosby create our portrait for the Obama Presidential Center. Her artistic brilliance shines through — and the way she infused such life and joy into the piece is truly extraordinary. We love it, and we think everyone who visits the Center will too!” she wrote.
Barack Obama also commended the painting, describing it simply as “fantastic.”
Speaking about her creative process, Akunyili-Crosby revealed that she and her studio team immersed themselves in the lives and stories of the former First Couple before beginning the project.
“We read all your books and listened to all your interviews, podcasts, and videos. My whole studio got to know you. I wanted to make decisions that tapped into those memories so it would feel familiar,” she said.
Akunyili-Crosby, one of the most celebrated contemporary artists of Nigerian heritage, is the daughter of late Nigerian public health icon and former Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dora Akunyili.
The internationally acclaimed artist has earned several prestigious honours, including being named on the Financial Times’ Women of the Year list in 2016 and receiving the MacArthur Fellowship, popularly known as the “Genius Grant,” in 2017. Her work, which often explores themes of Nigerian culture, identity and memory, has been exhibited extensively across the United States and other parts of the world.