Jan 23, 2020

Obama portraits to embark on national tour in 2021

Photo: Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images

The portraits of former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will leave Washington, D.C., in 2021 on a national tour of five cities, the Washington Post reports.

Why it matters: The paintings have brought in millions of visitors to the capital's National Portrait Gallery, where they are currently housed.

  • The artists who painted the portraits, Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald, are the first African American artists to ever be selected to paint gallery portraits of a president or first lady.

The tour schedule:

  • The Art Institute of Chicago: June 18, 2021 through Aug. 15, 2021
  • The Brooklyn Museum (New York City): Aug. 27, 2021 through Oct. 24, 2021
  • The Los Angeles County Museum of Art: Nov. 5, 2021 through Jan. 2, 2022
  • The High Museum of Art (Atlanta): Jan. 14, 2022 through March 13, 2022
  • The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston: March 25, 2022 through May 30, 2022

Go deeper: Smithsonian unveils official Obama portraits

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