see 100 years of presidential portraits leading up to barack obamas vibrant

The article presents a curated selection of presidential portraits from the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery's permanent exhibition "America's Presidents," spanning the last century from Woodrow Wilson to Barack Obama. It highlights the evolution of the form, from traditional depictions of Harding and Hoover to Norman Rockwell's beaming Nixon, Elaine de Kooning's artful Kennedy, and culminating in Kehinde Wiley's vibrant, almost-surrealist 2018 portrait of Barack Obama, which generated significant public excitement.

On View: 'Amy Sherald: American Sublime' at Whitney Museum of American Art in New York Charts Artist's Two-Decade Career

The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York has opened "Amy Sherald: American Sublime," the largest exhibition of the artist's work and her first solo museum show in the city. Featuring over 40 paintings created between 2007 and 2024, the exhibition includes iconic portraits of Michelle Obama and Breonna Taylor, as well as works inspired by Alfred Eisenstaedt's famous photograph and filmmaker Wes Anderson. The show is organized chronologically, beginning with the rarely seen "Hangman" (2007), and includes "If You Surrendered to the Air, You Could Ride It" (2020), shown for the first time since its acquisition by the Whitney five years ago.

Governor Healey Unveils Art Exhibition for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Governor Maura Healey of Massachusetts has unveiled a temporary art exhibition in the Governor's office reception area to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The display features works by four Asian American artists living in Massachusetts—Yu Cheng, Tira Khan, Timothy Hyunsoo Lee, and On Kyeong Seong—spanning photography, embroidery, and paintings. The exhibition, organized in partnership with the Mass Cultural Council, runs through May 16 and is part of Healey's broader effort to diversify the art displayed in the State House.

Smithsonian’s First Major Exhibit Of African LGBTQ+ Art On Display Through August

The National Museum of African Art, part of the Smithsonian Institution, has opened "Here: Pride and Belonging in African Art," its first major exhibition dedicated to African LGBTQ+ art. Featuring 60 works by artists from over a dozen countries across Africa and its diaspora, the show includes paintings, sculptures, textiles, photography, film, and video. Co-curated by Serubiri Moses and Kevin D. Dumouchelle, the exhibition highlights collaboration, joy, and lived experience, with artists such as Zanele Muholi, Toyin Ojih Odutola, Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Jim Chuchu, Ṣọlá Olúlòde, and Leilah Babirye. Originally scheduled to open in May 2025 to coincide with WorldPride in Washington, the exhibition was postponed to January 2026 due to a Smithsonian budget situation, but ultimately opened as planned.

Baltimore Museum of Art Will Host Amy Sherald’s Canceled Smithsonian Show

The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) will host Amy Sherald's exhibition "American Sublime," which was originally scheduled to open at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery on September 19. Sherald canceled the Smithsonian showing in July after learning the institution planned to remove her 2024 painting "Trans Forming Liberty," which depicts a transgender Statue of Liberty, to avoid provoking President Donald Trump, replacing it with a video instead. The exhibition, featuring about fifty works, had previously traveled from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art to the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Amy Sherald's canceled Smithsonian art show comes to Baltimore

Artist Amy Sherald has canceled her scheduled exhibition at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., due to censorship concerns over her painting "Trans Forming Liberty," which depicts the Statue of Liberty as a Black trans woman. The exhibition, titled "Amy Sherald: American Sublime," will instead travel to the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA), where it will run from November 2, 2025, to April 5, 2026. Sherald will also receive one of the museum's "Artist Who Inspires" awards at its 2025 BMA Ball on November 22. The show is a mid-career survey of Sherald's work, previously shown at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Artist recreates snapshots of 1950s resort with colorful quilts, paintings at WAM

The Wichita Art Museum (WAM) is presenting a new exhibition by an artist who recreates snapshots of a 1950s resort using colorful quilts and paintings. The works draw on vintage photographs to evoke the leisure and social life of mid-century American resort culture, rendered in textile and paint.

UK Art Museum announces Spring ’26 exhibitions and photography lecture

The University of Kentucky Art Museum has announced its Spring 2026 exhibition lineup, running from February 3 to June 27, alongside the first Robert C. May Endowed Photography Lecture of the semester. The season features two main exhibitions: "Ecstatic Personas," a group show exploring joy as a radical force with works by Carlos Rosales-Silva and Shannon Alonzo, and "Harry Gamboa Jr.: The Early, The Late, The Lost," a career-spanning survey of the artist's photography, performance, and writing. Gamboa, a co-founder of the influential collective Asco, will also deliver a lecture on March 27 as part of the photography lecture series.

A Washington Museum Zeros In on the Watergate Scandal

A Washington Museum Zeros In on the Watergate Scandal

The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., has opened a new exhibition titled "Break the News: Watergate and the American Presidency." The show features over 60 objects, including photographs, political cartoons, and artifacts like the infamous tape recorder used by President Richard Nixon, to explore the scandal's impact on media, politics, and public trust.

Speed Art Museum exhibit 'Brilliant Exiles' empowers a new generation

The Speed Art Museum in Louisville, Kentucky, is hosting the traveling exhibition 'Brilliant Exiles: American Women in Paris, 1900-1939,' on loan from the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. The show highlights the trailblazing work of American women artists, writers, and designers who moved to Paris at the turn of the 20th century, exploring their contributions across disciplines like art, fashion, and literature. The museum has added interactive QR codes with curated playlists, and the exhibition runs through June 22, 2025.