The portraits of former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will leave Washington, D.C., in 2021 on a national tour of five cities, the Washington Post reports.
Why it matters: The paintings have brought in millions of visitors to the capital's National Portrait Gallery, where they are currently housed.
- The artists who painted the portraits, Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald, are the first African American artists to ever be selected to paint gallery portraits of a president or first lady.
The tour schedule:
- The Art Institute of Chicago: June 18, 2021 through Aug. 15, 2021
- The Brooklyn Museum (New York City): Aug. 27, 2021 through Oct. 24, 2021
- The Los Angeles County Museum of Art: Nov. 5, 2021 through Jan. 2, 2022
- The High Museum of Art (Atlanta): Jan. 14, 2022 through March 13, 2022
- The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston: March 25, 2022 through May 30, 2022
Go deeper: Smithsonian unveils official Obama portraits
