Former President Barack Obama has publicly celebrated the unveiling of The Obamas: Springing Forth, 2026, the first official joint portrait of himself and former First Lady Michelle Obama, created by gifted Nigerian visual artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby.
In remarks shared on June 15, 2026, a day after the Obama Foundation debuted the monumental artwork, Obama expressed his deep admiration for the piece and its creator. “It was great joining @NjidekaAkunyiliCrosby — a gifted Nigerian-born, Los Angeles-based artist — to unveil our first portrait together,” he wrote. “This piece reflects so many chapters of Michelle and my story, and we’re thrilled that it will be on display in the Hope and Change lobby at the Obama Presidential Center starting this Juneteenth.”
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The portrait, a massive mixed-media work standing over 9 feet tall and 10 feet wide, employs Akunyili Crosby’s signature technique of layering acrylic, charcoal, and intricate photo transfers. It embeds deeply personal and historical details — from Michelle Obama’s childhood home on Euclid Avenue in Chicago to the Harvard Law Review and Stevie Wonder’s Talking Book — in a vibrant, culturally layered composition that the former president says captures the complexity of their journey.
Akunyili Crosby, a MacArthur “Genius” Fellow whose work frequently examines the hybridity of Nigerian and American identity, brought a diasporic lens to the historic commission.
The placement of the portrait in the Center’s free, ticketless Hope and Change lobby ensures the public can engage directly with the artwork when the Obama Presidential Center opens its doors to the world on Juneteenth, June 19, 2026.
