The Obamas Portraits Are A Colorful And Memorable Break From The Dull Presidential Past

Barack and Michelle Obama’s official portraits, revealed this morning at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, are a breath of fresh air. 

At the unveiling, Obama said he admired how Wiley’s work “challenge[s] our conventional views of power and privilege,” and indeed this floral portrait seems like a provocation in the present presidential era, where Trump sees the office as an excuse to perform a cartoonish brand of masculinity.

Wow quite a presidential portrait Obama pic.twitter.com/GlvljHSBVR

— Chicago Reader (@Chicago_Reader) February 12, 2018