February 7, 2025 The Newspaper Serving LGBT Los Angeles

LACMA Spotlights Queer Black Artists & Subjects

The Obama Portraits Tour” and “Black American Portraits” exhibits at LACMA not only celebrate portraiture, but also queer Black artists and subjects.

In the West Coast presentation of “The Obama Portraits Tour,” Kehinde Wiley’s Barack Obama and Amy Sherald’s Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama are on loan from the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, and on view at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art through Jan. 2.

“Barack Obama” by Kehinde Wiley, oil on canvas, 2018; “Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama” by Amy Sherald, oil on linen, 2018. (Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald)

Wiley, who identifies as gay, was the first Black artist to paint an official presidential portrait for the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery when Obama selected him in 2018.

Wiley’s “Portrait of a Young Man,” his eagerly anticipated reimagining of Gainsborough’s iconic 1770 painting “The Blue Boy,” is on display at The Huntington. Wiley’s work, which takes the name that Thomas Gainsborough initially used, incorporates the Grand Manner portraiture technique and style, but in a contemporary setting.

“The Portrait Gallery’s official portraits of President Barack Obama by Kehinde Wiley and First Lady Michelle Obama by Amy Sherald are powerful works of art,” Michael Govan, LACMA CEO, said in a statement. “The colors and styles of the paintings are a fresh departure from the history of presidential portraiture, and these have become two of the most recognized artworks in the world.”

To complement “The Obama Portraits Tour,” “Black American Portraitsis an exhibit that reframes portraiture to center Black American subjects, sitters, and spaces. It features 140 works mainly drawn from the museum’s permanent collection.

“Black American Portraits” includes works that make visible LGBTQ sitters and stories with works by Tourmaline, Jonathan Lyndon Chase, Alvin Baltrop, Clifford Prince King, Lyle Ashton Harris, Renee Cox, Cathy Opie, and more.

It’s on view through April 7.

Related Posts

Open Arms Art Show Runs Through Mar. 22 in Burbank

February 6, 2025

February 6, 2025

Opening Exhibition Saturday Feb. 8 from 12 to 8p.m. More than an art show, the Open Arms Exhibition is an...

Quiet Luxury: What’s Inside the New Regent Boutique and Sweet July

February 6, 2025

February 6, 2025

The Regent Santa Monica Beach, known for its perfect Santa Monica getaways, or local dining at its Mediterranean-based restaurant Orla...

West Hollywood Deputies Arrest San Bernardino Homicide Suspect on Sierra Bonita

February 6, 2025

February 6, 2025

Man Wanted for Deadly Baseball Bat Attack Captured During Routine Patrol Deputies from the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station apprehended a...

Serial Predator David Pearce Convicted of Murders, Rape in Shocking Fentanyl Overdose Case in West LA

February 6, 2025

February 6, 2025

“Dead Girls Don’t Talk,” Fake Producer Abandoned Women’s Bodies Like Garbage A jury convicted David Brian Pearce of two counts...

Best Spots to Celebrate Valentines, Galentines, or Have a Super Bowl Party on the Westside

February 5, 2025

February 5, 2025

Cocktails, Game Day Grub, Valentine’s Pasta, and a Lonely Heart’s Tea Service You will find many excellent ways to celebrate...

FDA Issues High-Risk Recall for Pre-Packaged Broccoli Florets Sold at Walmart

February 5, 2025

February 5, 2025

Recall Is Now Classified as Class I Due to Seriousness Of Contamination The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has classified...

Matū Kai Brings Its Signature Wagyu and Famous Cheesesteak to Brentwood

February 5, 2025

February 5, 2025

Team Behind Beverly Hills’ Acclaimed Matū Is Opening a Second Location One of Beverly Hills’s newest and most popular restaurants,...

West Hollywood’s Drag Story Hour Returns for 2025 Season This Week

February 4, 2025

February 4, 2025

Family-Friendly Storytelling Series Celebrates Diversity and Inclusion The City of West Hollywood will launch its 2025 season of Drag Story...

Free Narcan to Combat Opioid Overdoses Available at the West Hollywood Library

February 4, 2025

February 4, 2025

Naloxone and Fentanyl Test Strips Are Available With No Payment or ID  In response to a rise in fentanyl and...

Influencer Florence Mirsky Responds After Her Racist Rant Is Caught in Video Footage

February 4, 2025

February 4, 2025

Viral Footage Shows Mirsky Using Slurs and Berating Valet Workers in Beverly Hills Influencer and cannabis entrepreneur Florence Mirsky, who...

 State Farm Seeks Emergency Rate Hike, Citing Wildfire Losses—Consumer Advocates Push Back

February 4, 2025

February 4, 2025

Insurer Requests up to a 38% Rate Increase, but Critics Call It an Unjustified Cash Grab In a press release...

(Video) Los Angeles Marathon Returns For 40th Anniversary

February 4, 2025

February 4, 2025

Register at mccourtfoundation.org Register at https://t.co/JUuzwhVeun pic.twitter.com/3m3wiyoBm4 — Palisades News (@PalisadesNewsLA) February 4, 2025

CCPD Seek Public’s Help in Finding Missing Elderly Man with Dementia Last Seen in Culver City

February 3, 2025

February 3, 2025

Resident Last Seen on Washington Boulevard, Public Urged to Report Any Sightings Culver City’s Police Department is asking for the...

Los Angeles County Ramps Up Storm Protections in Fire Burn Areas As Two Storms Approach

February 3, 2025

February 3, 2025

Officials Install Flood Barriers and Urge Residents To Prepare As a storm system approaches California this week, Los Angeles County...

Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar Make History at the 2025 GRAMMY Awards

February 3, 2025

February 3, 2025

Beyoncé Wins Album of the Year, Kendrick Lamar Sweeps Five Categories The 2025 GRAMMY Awards delivered a night of historic...