Obama Official White House Portraits Finally Unveiled | Here's What the Former President and First Lady Think About It
(Photo : Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
The official White House Portraits for former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama have been finally unveiled in a White Ceremony earlier today.
The Obamas return to the White House in a celebration hosted by the incumbent President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. This marks the first return of the former First Lady Obama to the building since Barack left his office in 2017.
Artists Robert McCurdy and Sharon Sprung received both overwhelming praises from the Obamas for the photorealistic portraits that will be hung in the White House moving forward.
Barack, Michelle Obama Portraits Officially Unveiled
In a celebration hosted by President Joe and Jill Biden at the White House, former President Barack and Michelle Obama graced the building again to uncover their official White House Portraits, CBS News reports.
At the time, it was not revealed who the artist of the portraits was - as it was revealed that he signed a confidentiality agreement to keep the information under the wrap.
Aside from Michelle Obama's first return to the White House, it was also Robert McCurdy and Sharon Sprung's first time to be revealed as the artists behind the two paintings. Sharon painted Michelle's while Robert painted Barack's.
"We're not looking for a gestural moment. We're looking for a more meditative or transcendent moment," Robert McCurdy told the White House Historical Association.
The government agency was responsible for the acquisition and funding of the official portraits of the President and their first ladies.
The unveiling of Barack Obama and Michelle Obama's portraits at the White House happened five years since they left office in 2017. It was also the first time in 10 years that a portrait unveiling took place at the White House since Donald Trump also skipped the tradition during his term, Art-Net News reports.
Barack and Michelle Obama's Reactions to the Official Portraits
After taking the podium for his speech, Obama thanked Joe Biden and Jill Biden, the White House staff, among many others, CNN reported.
Barack took the time to praise Sharon Sprung, the painter of Michelle's portrait, and thanked her for capturing everything he loved about her wife: "her poise, grace, and the fact that she's fine."
Afterward, his attention was shifted to Robert McCurdy, whom he thanked for advising him not to wear a tan suit, prompting laughs from the crowd. The joke was in reference to the 2014 issue where Obama was criticized largely for wearing a tan suit, which was considered casual, while having a press conference dealing with an ISIS attack in Syria.
"Your work is phenomenal, but it was your essence, your soul, the way you saw me, the way we interacted, and it shows in this beautiful work," Michelle Obama said during her speech.
The recently unveiled portraits will be hung in the White House along with other Presidents and White Ladies' portraits dating back to George and Martha Washington.
READ MORE: Barack Obama Net Worth: Here's How Much the First Black U.S. President Is Worth After Leaving Office
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Written by: Ivan Korrs
WATCH: White House Portrait Unveiling Ceremony for fmr President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama - From C-SPAN