Kehinde Wiley: The New Old Master

Kehinde Wiley (b. 1977) is perhaps the most famous portraitist in the world today. His method is a form of “street casting”: he finds young Black men and women in cities like New York, Dakar, or London and asks them to choose a pose from a classical Old Master painting (such as a work by Titian or Gainsborough). He then paints them with hyper-realistic detail, set against vibrant, floral backgrounds that reference textiles from across the Diaspora.

By placing modern Black bodies in the poses of European monarchs and saints, Wiley “hacks” art history. He addresses the “absence” of the Black figure in the museum, asserting their right to be seen as heroic, divine, and beautiful. In 2018, he became the first African American artist to paint an official presidential portrait for the Smithsonian, depicting Barack Obama seated in a garden of symbolic flowers.

The Impact: Wiley has transformed the way museums operate. His work forces the viewer to confront the racial bias of the “canon.” Beyond painting, his “Black Rock” residency in Senegal provides a space for new generations of Diaspora artists to create, ensuring that his impact extends far beyond his own canvas.