Njideka Akunyili Crosby Paints First Official Portrait Of The Obamas for the Presidential Centre

Nigerian-born artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby, daughter of the late NAFDAC director general, Dora Akunyili, has created the first official joint portrait of former US President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama.
The portrait, titled The Obamas: Springing Forth, 2026, was unveiled on Monday at a private ceremony where the Obamas saw the finished work for the very first time.
It will take pride of place in the Hope and Change Lobby of the Obama Presidential Centre Museum in Chicago, a public space accessible without a ticket, when the centre opens its doors on June 19, 2026, coinciding with Juneteenth.
The painting is anything but a conventional presidential portrait. A...