First Lady Michelle Obama (painting)


First Lady Michelle Obama is a 2018 portrait of Michelle Obama by the artist Amy Sherald for the National Portrait Gallery, Washington D.C.
Obama selected the artist, as well as the dress by the brand Milly by fashion designer Michelle Smith. Obama's face is stylized in shades of gray, an artistic technique known as grisaille, a key theme in works by Sherald, and the background is a simple blue evoking American folk art. Rather than focusing on an individualized glamor, the dress dominates the work as a mountain-like triangle. The dress is a variation on a halter gown from the Spring 2017 collection, with a modern geometric pattern that Sherald said reminded her of the works of 20th century Dutch painter Mondrian and the African-American quilting tradition of Gee's Bend, Alabama.
Together with Kehinde Wiley's portrait of her husband Barack Obama, the paintings were first exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery on February 12, 2018. The unveiling led to thousands of visitors lined up at the entrance, and a threefold increase in visitors compared to the prior President's Day Weekend.

Parker Curry photograph

Shortly after the painting was put on display, a photograph of a two-year-old African-American girl, Parker Curry, staring at it in awe, went viral on social media. The photograph was taken by Ben Hines of North Carolina. Obama later met with Parker and her mother.