Kehinde Wiley (born 1977) is a New York City-based portrait painter who is known for his highly naturalistic paintings of African-Americans in heroic poses. The Columbus Museum of Art, which hosted an exhibition of his work in 2007, describes his work with the following: "Wiley has gained recent acclaim for his heroic portraits which address the image and status of young African-American men in contemporary culture

In October 2017 it was announced that Wiley had been commissioned to produce a portrait of former U.S. president Barack Obama for the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. This painting was unveiled on February 12, 2018. He and Amy Sherald are the first black artists to make official presidential portraits for the National Portrait Gallery

EARLY LIFE

Wiley was born in Los Angeles, California. His father is Yoruba from Nigeria, and his mother is African-American. As a child, his mother supported his interest in art and enrolled him in after-school art classes. At the age of 12, he spent a short time at an art school in Russia
Wiley did not grow up with his father, and at the age of 20 traveled to Nigeria to explore his roots and meet him. Wiley earned his BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1999 and his MFA from Yale University, School of Art in 2001

Career
Wiley often references Old Masters paintings for the pose of the figure.Wiley’s paintings often blur the boundaries between traditional and contemporary modes of representation. Rendered in a realistic mode—while making references to specific Old Master paintings—Wiley creates a fusion of period styles, ranging from French Rococo, Islamic architecture and West African textile design to urban hip hop and the "Sea Foam Green" of a Martha Stewart Interiors color swatch. Wiley's slightly larger than life-size figures are depicted in a heroic manner, as their poses connote power and spiritual awakening. Wiley’s portrayal of masculinity is filtered through these poses of power and spirituality

Good job, very good job....

Thank you my afonja brother for making us proud.

Omoluabi!!

Igbo Kwenu
Igbo Amaka

The painting is cool but I don't feel the flowers.

kayfra:
Igbo Kwenu
Igbo Amaka

Coming back

Artist full every corner of the country....



All that made the difference is the opportunity to be heard or seen!



Those guy from Ikeja along to Dopemu has been representing like forever.... Dem no dey tire!

Kehindechuku secondus eze.
He's of Igbo descent. his village is not far from our village in orlu

kayfra:
Igbo Kwenu
Igbo Amaka

e bami mu bobo yii so oooo, seems you are seeing and hearing what normal humans cant see and hear.