Njideka Akunyili Crosby Paints First Official Portrait Of The Obamas for the Presidential Centre

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.

Akunyili Crosby herself is no stranger to high recognition. She is a MacArthur Foundation Fellow and appeared on Time magazine’s “100 Next” list of rising stars in 2019.

Her work is celebrated internationally for exploring identity, belonging, and the layered experience of African and Western life.

The commission places her in rare and distinguished company, bringing a proudly Nigerian artistic voice into one of America’s most prominent cultural institutions. It is also a moment that carries a quiet echo of her mother’s legacy.

Dora Akunyili was one of Nigeria’s most celebrated public servants, renowned for her courageous fight against counterfeit drugs.