Barack and Michelle Obama Unveil First Dual Portrait Painted By Artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby
7June 19, 2026
In the lead up to the formal opening of theObama Presidential Centerin Chicago, former US president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama revealed their first dual portrait on June 15. The portrait was created by Nigerian-born artistNjideka Akunyili Crosby, who currently resides in Los Angeles.
TitledThe Obamas: Springing Forth, 2026, the piece features the former president and first lady reclining against a desk and seated on a chair respectively. Akunyili Crosby based the portrait on a photo she took of the couple, and she used her signature photo transfer technique to incorporate a variety of images and references from their public and personal lives.
The Obama Foundation revealed the former president and first lady’s initial reactions to the portrait in a YouTube video, in which Akunyili Crosby told the Obamas that she and her studio spent copious amounts of time reading the couple’s books and listening to their many interviews. “I wanted to make these decisions that tapped into those memories, so when you saw this, it felt familiar,” said Akunyili Crosby.
In an Instagram post, the former president said that the piece “reflects so many chapters of Michelle and my story.” The former first lady also praised the artist’s efforts in an Instagram post, noting that her “artistic brilliance shines through.” The portrait will be on display in the lobby of the $850 million presidential center, which features a slew of new commissions by artists such as Idris Khan, María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Theaster Gates, Rashid Johnson, and Julie Mehretu, among others. The campus formally opens to the public on June 19, coinciding with Juneteenth.