Njideka Akunyili Crosby, the Nigerian-born artist and daughter of the late Professor Dora Akunyili, has been commissioned to create the first official portrait of Barack and Michelle Obama together for the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.
Titled The Obamas: Springing Forth, the work was unveiled ahead of the centre’s opening on Juneteenth and takes its place among 28 specially commissioned artworks selected for the landmark institution on Chicago’s South Side.
Michelle Obama publicly acknowledged Akunyili Crosby’s contribution, praising the artist for bringing depth, warmth and vitality to the portrait.
The commission marks another milestone in the career of the Enugu-born artist, whose work has earned international acclaim for its intricate fusion of painting, photography, drawing and collage. After leaving Nigeria for the United States as a teenager, she developed a body of work that examines memory, culture, migration and identity. Her paintings are held in the collections of major institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Tate.
The Obama portrait emerged from months of research. Akunyili Crosby examined speeches, interviews, photographs, archival materials and published works connected to the former President and First Lady before beginning the painting.
The finished work presents both figures with equal visual prominence. Barack Obama is seated casually on a desk, while Michelle Obama occupies the foreground in a confident seated pose. The composition departs from traditional presidential portraiture, favouring a more personal and layered narrative.
Objects incorporated into the painting draw from defining moments in their lives. A volume of the Harvard Law Review references Barack Obama’s tenure as the publication’s first Black president. Stevie Wonder’s Talking Book, the first album owned by Michelle Obama, appears among the carefully selected details woven into the composition.
Known for constructing paintings through layers of imagery and visual references, Akunyili Crosby approached the project with the same meticulous attention that has defined her artistic practice for more than a decade. The portrait combines historical references, personal symbolism and contemporary techniques within a single expansive canvas.
The commission places Akunyili Crosby among a select group of artists whose work has been entrusted with interpreting major public figures for future generations.
The achievement also extends the remarkable story of a family name already associated with excellence. Dora Akunyili became one of Nigeria’s most respected public servants through her campaign against counterfeit medicines and her leadership of NAFDAC. Her daughter has earned distinction in a different field, building a reputation that now reaches one of the most significant presidential institutions in the United States.
From public service to contemporary art, the Akunyili name continues to command international recognition.
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