Barack and Michelle Obama Return to the White House to Unveil Official Portraits

Michelle and Barack Obama have returned to the White House.

On Wednesday, President Joe Biden and his wife, First Lady Jill Biden, welcomed the former first couple as they visited the residence to unveil their official portraits, more than five years after Obama’s tenure ended.

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Barack Obama’s portrait was painted by Robert McCurdy while Michelle Obama’s was painted by Sharon Sprung.

McCurdy’s portrayal of the former president is a hyper-realistic portrait, with Barack Obama posing with his hands in his pockets in a crisp black suit with a gray tie and a pin of the American flag against a white background.

Sprung, on the other hand, used bright colors to enliven Michelle Obama’s painting, using hues such as pink, red and baby blue. The former first lady is depicted sitting on a sofa in the White House’s Red Room wearing a blue off-the-shoulder dress as her signature loose curls frame her face.

For Wednesday’s reveal, Michelle Obama wore an ombre pink and red short-sleeve dress by Christy Rilling with a see-through top paired with suede brown pumps and drop earrings by Briony Raymond, styling her in a bun.

Barack Obama wore a black suit with a pinstripe blue button-down and navy blue tie.

The paintings will hang inside the White House for years and mark the first portraits since the unveiling of former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush’s portraits by John Howard Sanden in 2012, which was held by the Obamas.

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