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Kehinde Wiley: Everything to know about the artist who painted Obama's official portrait

Courtesy of Stephen Friedman Gallery
Courtesy of Stephen Friedman Gallery

American artist Kehinde Wiley’s fascination with 19th century textile designer Willliam Morris began in the 1980s.

By 2018, it had led him to be specially requested by then-president Barack Obama to paint his official portrait. The picture shows Obama seated in front of Wiley’s signature leafy backdrop, which he has said he would never have painted without Morris’s inspiration.

It makes sense then that his first exhibition of new work in the UK would take place at Walthamstow’s William Morris Gallery.

Known primarily for his portraits of young black men, he has made it his focus to feature exclusively women in his upcoming show. He says he has made this shift “in order to come to terms with depictions of gender and the way it is featured art historically--a means to broaden the conversation”.

Before you make the journey up to Walthamstow for this display, here’s what you need to know about the artist and his show.

Who is Kehinde Wiley?

(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

The New York- based artist is known for his naturalistic portraits of black people on floral backdrops. With a heavy focus on young black men, his work serves to overturn the framing of black masculinity as synonymous with violence in the USA and present a more vibrant and sensitive view.

He references the Old Masters in his portraits, which are often based on people he meets on the street.

What are Kehinde Wiley’s most famous artworks?

(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

Wiley has painted a number of famous faces, including Michael Jackson, LL Cool J and Notorious B.I.G., but is undoubtedly best known for his portrait of Barack Obama. In 2018, he became the first black artist to paint an official portrait of the President – having been personally requested – depicting him on the artist’s signature floral backdrop. On its unveiling, Obama said: “How about that? That’s pretty sharp.”

A new sculpture by Wiley was erected in Times Square last year, as a response to Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart in Virginia, before being moved to a position a mile away. Wiley’s sculpture, Rumors of War, shows a young African American man in streetwear – a common theme in the artist’s work – sitting astride a horse.

What to expect from his London exhibition

(© 2019 Kehinde Wiley. Courtesy of Stephen Friedman Gallery)
(© 2019 Kehinde Wiley. Courtesy of Stephen Friedman Gallery)

Wiley's new show, The Yellow Wallpaper, draws inspiration from Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s feminist text of the same name. It will be his first solo exhibition of new work in the UK and features portraits exclusively of women. The subjects of his paintings are women he met on the streets of Dalston and offer a response to Gilman’s work.

Wiley said: “The Yellow Wallpaper is a work of literary fiction that explores the contours of femininity and insanity. This exhibition seeks to use the language of the decorative to reconcile blackness, gender, and a beautiful and terrible past.”

The William Morris Museum is a fitting location for the exhibition, as Wiley has sourced the iconic floral designs in his work for more than 15 years.

Kehinde Wiley: The Yellow Wallpaper runs at the William Morris Gallery from February 22 to May 25, wmgallery.org.uk