Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama
Dublin Core
Title
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama
Description
This portrait celebrates Michelle Obama, the former first lady to the 44th president of the United States, Barack Obama. Created by Amy Sherald, this monumental portrait was commissioned to be the official state portrait of the former first lady. This portrait shows the former first lady poised elegantly, forward reclining, with her hand placed underneath her chin. Her gaze is fixed towards the viewer as her dress cascades around her sitting figure. Artist Amy Sherald depicts Michelle Obama in a signature grayscale, where she dilutes the color of the painting in order to recall early 19th century photographic traditions of African American photography. Photographic portraits gave free African Americans the opportunity for unique and positive self expression. This painting recalls those traditions to remember the independence associated with early 19th century photography, while also presenting the former first lady as a modern symbol of African American progress and advocacy.
Creator
Amy Sherald
Source
First Ladies of the United States Collection
Publisher
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Date
2018
Contributor
Gift of Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg; Judith Kern and Kent Whealy; Tommie L. Pegues and Donald A. Capoccia; Clarence, DeLoise, and Brenda Gaines; Jonathan and Nancy Lee Kemper; The Stoneridge Fund of Amy and Marc Meadows; Robert E. Meyerhoff and Rheda Becker; Catherine and Michael Podell; Mark and Cindy Aron; Lyndon J. Barrois and Janine Sherman Barrois; The Honorable John and Louise Bryson; Paul and Rose Carter; Bob and Jane Clark; Lisa R. Davis; Shirley Ross Davis and Family; Alan and Lois Fern; Conrad and Constance Hipkins; Sharon and John Hoffman; Audrey M. Irmas; John Legend and Chrissy Teigen; Eileen Harris Norton; Helen Hilton Raiser; Philip and Elizabeth Ryan; Roselyne Chroman Swig; Josef Vascovitz and Lisa Goodman; Eileen Baird; Dennis and Joyce Black Family Charitable Foundation; Shelley Brazier; Aryn Drake-Lee; Andy and Teri Goodman; Randi Charno Levine and Jeffrey E. Levine; Fred M. Levin and Nancy Livingston, The Shenson Foundation; Monique Meloche Gallery, Chicago; Arthur Lewis and Hau Nguyen; Sara and John Schram; Alyssa Taubman and Robert Rothman
Format
Oil on linen, Stretcher: 183.2 × 152.7 × 7 cm (72 1/8 × 60 1/8 × 2 3/4")
IIIF Item Metadata
UUID
dff63c3c-5af4-4073-9139-95cbc538aaf5
Collection
Citation
Amy Sherald, “Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama,” The Power of Portrayal: Envisioning Women's Representation, accessed April 19, 2024, https://cornellcolab.net/suffrage/items/show/10.