Photo: Scott Olson/Getty
Digital versions of the official portraits ofBarackandMichelle Obamawere projected on to Chicago’s Merchandise Mart building this week, to coincide with the debut of the paintings at the city’s famed Art Institute on Friday.
The paintings will remain on display at the Art Institute of Chicago until Aug. 15, before moving on to the Brooklyn Museum, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Atlanta’s High Museum and then Museum of Fine Arts Houston.
The tour is expected to last until May 2022.
Portraits Of Barack And Michelle Obama projected onto Chicago’s Merchandise Mart.Scott Olson/Getty
Wiley’s portrait of President Obama, 59, is grand in scale - life-sized, but with a sense of approachability, as it depicts him leaning forward, and with gray hair.
Sherald’s portrait of Mrs. Obama, meanwhile, is similarly iconic, though “her pose and eye contact is represented as someone who is very open, accessible and inclusive,” Art Institute Director of Interpretation Emily Fryrecently told PEOPLE.
Scott Olson/Getty
Chicago is a significant backdrop for the paintings, as it has served as an important location in the couple’s personal and professional lives.
The Art Institute was the site of the Obamas' first date and “the site where they started their relationship,” Fry told PEOPLE in an earlier interview.
“It was particularly exciting that Chicago was chosen to be the very first stop and it’s something that we really want to honor, because the Obamas and Chicago are inextricably linked,” Fry said. “This is the location that has shaped the arc of their professional lives, and it’s where they started their family. It’s a homecoming.”
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The couple met while working at the Chicago law firm Sidley Austin (at the time, the future president was working as a summer associate; his future wife was his adviser).
Their first date - which took place in 1989 and was the subject of the 2016 filmSouthside with You- was lengthy, spanning an entire day.
After visiting the Art Institute of Chicago, the two had lunch in the museum’s courtyard, enjoyed a drink on the 99th floor of the John Hancock building, saw Spike Lee’sDo the Right Thingand took a long walk down Michigan Avenue.
“He showed all the sides,” Mrs. Obama, 57, toldCNN in a 2008 interview. “He was hip. Cultural. Sensitive. The fountain, nice touch. The walk, sensitive.”
source: people.com
