New Obama portrait unveiled at Chicago’s Obama Presidential Center

As excitement builds for the grand opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago’s Jackson Park, visitors are getting an early look at one of its most meaningful new additions: the first official painted portrait of former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama together.

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Titled The Obamas: Springing Forth, the monumental work was created by internationally acclaimed artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby and now hangs in the museum’s Hope and Change Lobby, where it can be viewed by the public without a museum ticket.

Rather than depicting the couple in a formal presidential pose, the portrait weaves together layers of personal history, cultural references, archival imagery, and symbolic details that reflect their lives, family, and legacy. Created using acrylic paint, colored pencils, charcoal, and photo-transfer techniques, the piece invites viewers to discover new elements each time they look at it.

Among the many details embedded in the artwork are nods to the Obamas’ Chicago roots, their shared history, treasured family memories, music they love, and meaningful objects collected throughout Barack Obama’s presidency. The result is both intimate and historical, celebrating not only their journey to the White House but also the communities and movements that helped shape it.

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Michelle Obama reportedly described the portrait as capturing “all of the stories within the story,” while Barack Obama joked about wishing the artist had hidden a few more gray hairs.

The portrait was commissioned specifically for the Obama Presidential Center and serves as a centerpiece for a campus that blends history, art, civic engagement, and community programming. The Center features dozens of original works by contemporary artists alongside exhibits chronicling the Obama presidency and the broader story of American democracy.

For Chicago, the unveiling marks another milestone in the city’s evolving cultural landscape. As the hometown of the nation’s 44th president and former first lady, the Obama Presidential Center offers visitors a chance to experience history through both artifacts and art, with The Obamas: Springing Forth standing as one of its most personal and visually compelling installations.