Amy Sherald’s exhibition, American Sublime, at SFMOMA brought together nearly 50 pieces from 2007 to the present, showcasing her evolution from early portraits to her more recent, incisive figure paintings, all which settled into everyday moments of Black life.

No President and First Lady had ever allowed their portrait artists so much freedom in design and composition as the Obamas.  Just flip through the portraits of the preceding 44 Presidents, and you may notice a theme.

Barack and Michelle Obama’s official portraits were unveiled yesterday in front of a crowd at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.  Like many good portraits, the occasion was packed with symbolism.  For starters, they chose Abraham Lincoln’s birthday to unveil the paintings.  Now, 153 years after the abolition of slavery in the