White House Unveils New Obama Portraits

September 8, 2022 • View in browser

Good morning. 🌤️ Today, the White House unveils the new official portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama (not the ones by Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald). I hate to say it but they're really bad, especially Robert McCurdy's hyperrealistic depiction of the former president, which replicates the aesthetics of a passport photo taken on a bad day.

I'm not alone in this opinion. Our Editor-in-Chief Hrag Vartanian tweeted: "So, did the Obamas just say, 'Screw it, we're going to Sears portrait studio?'"

And our News Editor Valentina Di Liscia commented: "The Disney princesses called; they want their portrait of Michelle Obama back."

In other news, record-breaking rains in Pakistan damage cultural heritage sites, murals in Chile support a new, progressive constitution, a Kentucky judge allows wedding photographers to discriminate against same-sex couples, and more.

Also today, our fall guide to art exhibitions in Chicago, two paintings by Picasso and Ingres face off at London’s National Gallery, John Yau with a review from Seoul of Mira Park, and have plant-human hybrids replaced cyborgs in contemporary art?

— Hakim Bishara, Senior Editor

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Be sure to see our handy guide to all of the week's art fairs and happenings!

Picasso and Ingres Face Off in London

Can two paintings an entire exhibition make? Yes. Especially when it is a Spaniard called Pablo Picasso squaring up to a Frenchman called Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres. | Michael Glover

SPONSORED

“To Transform,” Fall 2022 Public Programs at Columbia University School of the Arts

Programming in New York City consists of conversations, screenings, reading, and research about work that enacts transformation. Learn more.

WHAT'S HAPPENING

Robert McCurdy's portrait of Obama and Sharon Sprung's portrait of Michelle Obama, both painted in 2018 (images courtesy White House Historical Association/White House Collection)

Four years too late, the White House unveils Robert McCurdy’s and Sharon Sprung’s 2018 official Obama portraits.

Artist Gina Adams, whose claim to Indigenous identity raised doubts, has resigned from her post as an assistant professor at Emily Carr University.

A Kentucky judge ruled in favor of a wedding photographer claiming that serving LGBTQ+ clients violated her beliefs and First Amendment rights.

Catastrophic flooding in Pakistan poses a significant threat to the country’s cultural history.

SPONSORED

Landmarks Unveils New Sarah Oppenheimer Work for the University of Texas at Austin

“C-010106,” Oppenheimer’s first entirely outdoor work and her largest to date, will be celebrated with an online conversation between the artist and curator Lumi Tan on September 15. Learn more.

LATEST IN ART

Your Concise Chicago Art Guide for Fall 2022

Your list of must-see, fun, insightful, and very Chicago art events this season, including the Chinese American Museum of Chicago’s Spotlight Series, Black life and lineage, female empowerment, and more. | Susannah Papish

Mira Park Knows What We Dream About

In her art, Park is in touch with our collective anxieties about a future that seems to darken with each passing day. | John Yau

SPONSORED

Tate Online Conference Presents Research on Artwork, Archive, and Record

Focusing on the conservation and management of contemporary art, particularly works that unfold over time, the conference wraps on September 16 with a performance by Guillermo Gómez-Peña. Learn more.

MORE ON HYPERALLERGIC

The Plant-Human Hybrid Is the Cyborg of Our Moment

Plants are invading the space of humans in art, at a time when human activity is invading every corner of nature. | Yota Batsaki

In Chile, Murals Emerge in Support of a Progressive Constitution

A proposed left-leaning constitution was voted down this weekend, but the artworks remain, calling for universal human rights, environmental justice, and social equality. | Elaine Velie

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Diane Haigh (1949-2022)
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Newton Harrison (1932–2022)
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Syrian painter | Artnews

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