Nigerian-born artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby, daughter of the late NAFDAC director general, Dora Akunyili, has created the first official joint portrait of former US President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama.

The portrait, titled The Obamas: Springing Forth, 2026, was unveiled on Monday at a private ceremony where the Obamas saw the finished work for the very first time.

It will take pride of place in the Hope and Change Lobby of the Obama Presidential Centre Museum in Chicago, a public space accessible without a ticket, when the centre opens its doors on June 19, 2026, coinciding with Juneteenth.

The painting is anything but a conventional presidential portrait. Akunyili Crosby, known for her signature photo-transfer technique, layered family photographs, civil rights imagery, archival materials, and personal cultural touchstones to tell a story that goes far beyond the White House years.

One striking detail sees a window in the portrait framing Michelle Obama’s childhood home on Chicago’s South Side, with her father’s Buick parked out front, a tender nod to the roots that shaped her.

The Obamas’ reactions at the unveiling were warm and characteristically human. Barack Obama, eyeing his likeness on the canvas, quipped that he wished his hair had been touched up a little.

He then pointed to his painted suit and announced he intended to have one made just like it. Michelle Obama, for her part, took to social media to express her admiration, describing Akunyili Crosby’s work as one that “infused such life and joy” into the piece.

In a statement on X, Obama wrote, “It was great joining Njideka Akunyili Crosby — a gifted Nigerian-born, Los Angeles-based artist — to unveil our first portrait together. This piece reflects so many chapters of Michelle and my story, and we’re thrilled that it will be on display in the Hope and Change lobby at the Obama Presidential Centre starting this Juneteenth.”

Michelle Obama also wrote, “Barack and I were so honored to have @AkunyiliCrosby create our portrait for the Obama Presidential Center. Her artistic brilliance shines through — and the way she infused the piece with such life and joy is truly extraordinary. We love it, and we think everyone who visits the Center will too!”

Njideka Akunyili Crosby was born in 1983 in Enugu State, Nigeria, and is of Igbo descent.

She is the daughter of the late Dora Akunyili, a renowned professor of pharmacology and former NAFDAC Director-General, and Chike Akunyili, a surgeon.

She spent her early years in Enugu before moving to Lagos at age 13, where she attended Queen’s College, Yaba.

At age 16, she moved to the United States with her sister after her family won the U.S. green card lottery.

She studied at Swarthmore College, graduating in 2004, initially pursuing pre-med before switching to art.

She earned a post-baccalaureate certificate from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 2006 and later obtained a Master of Fine Arts from Yale University.

After graduating from Yale in 2011, she was selected for an artist residency at the Studio Museum in Harlem, a major platform for emerging African artists.

Her work explores identity, migration, and cultural duality, blending Nigerian and American influences through collage, painting, and photography.

She has held exhibitions at institutions including the Hammer Museum, Norton Museum of Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.

In 2016, she was named among the Financial Times Women of the Year.

She received the MacArthur Fellowship (Genius Grant) in 2017, one of the most prestigious recognitions for creatives.

Her accolades include the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s James Dickey Contemporary Art Prize (2014), the Studio Museum’s Wein Artist Prize (2015), and the Prix Canson (2016).

In 2026, she was commissioned by the Obama Foundation to create a work for the Obama Presidential Centre in Chicago.

She is married to artist Justin Crosby and often reflects personal and cultural experiences in her work.

Akunyili Crosby is widely regarded as one of the leading contemporary African artists, known for bridging African and Western narratives through her art. (The Nation)

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