Njideka Akunyili Crosby unveils first joint portrait of the Obamas

Njideka Akunyili Crosby unveiled The Obamas: Springing Forth, the first official commissioned portrait of Barack and Michelle Obama, in the Hope and Change lobby of the Obama Presidential Center. The Nigerian-born, Los Angeles-based artist made the richly layered painting using her signature photo-transfer collage technique, embedding photographs and domestic details that trace chapters of the Obamas' life together. Crosby, a 2017 MacArthur Fellow, put the work on public view starting Juneteenth during the museum's opening week, and the lobby display requires no ticket. The portrait matters because it is the couple's first joint official likeness and places their shared personal and political story at the center of the new presidential center's public spaces.