Earlier this year Barack Obama finally agreed to have his official White House portrait unveiled—having previously refused to participate in the ceremony while Trump was president. I said at the time that I hoped that Obama’s official White House portrait is better than the ridiculous portrait that left-wing artist Kehinde Wiley painted for the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.
It’s not.
The portrait features Obama alone, quite literally, in front of an all-white background. It’s weird and a break from tradition.
Obama’s official White House portrait looks like a cheap stock photo. pic.twitter.com/Ptwrn6oHf8
— Margolis & Cox (@MargolisandCox) September 7, 2022
Yet, at the same time, it’s a perfect metaphor for Obama’s well-documented narcissism. Obama would want his official White House portrait to feature him without any background or environmental context, which happens to be the signature of Robert McCurdy, the artist who painted it.
Pretty much the only thing this bland portrait accomplishes is that it makes the weird Smithsonian portrait look better by comparison.
Related: Obama Worship Continues With Barack’s Emmy Win
Michelle Obama’s official White House portrait wasn’t much better.
The only thing missing from Michelle Obama’s official White House portrait is the excessively large entourage she kept while living at the White House. pic.twitter.com/qsQexgA0sj
— Margolis & Cox (@MargolisandCox) September 7, 2022
It kind of reminds me of a prom photo, but at least it’s better than Hillary’s official White House portrait, which features the tacky product placement of her book It Takes a Village.
How come the Obamas are obsessed with terrible portraits?
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