Earlier this year, April to be exact, Clark Atlanta University President Ronald Johnson introduced you to CAU alumna Amy Sherald (B.A., ’97), a highly acclaimed painter whose creative genius, passion and fortitude have now led her to even greater reward. The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery this month announced that she has been selected to paint the official portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama. Pres. Obama, whose portrait will be painted by Kehinde Wiley, an artist of equal acclaim, and the First Lady both shared their input during the selection process.
Sherald’s trademark gray-toned masterpieces have taken the art world by storm, and she is the recipient of several prizes, including the National Portrait Gallery’s prestigious Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition. He painting “Grand Dame Queenie” (2012) is already part of the permanent collection at the Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History and Culture. The artist will join in a conversation with the Hammer Museum’s Erin Christovale Sunday, Oct. 29, from 2-3pm in the National Gallery’s East Building Auditorium.
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