February 12, 2018

Forget Infrastructure Week. Start Your Monday With the Obamas’ Official Portraits.

The Smithsonian unveiled new paintings of the former first couple—and they did not disappoint.

AP

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The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery unveiled the official portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama on Monday. The paintings were created by renowned artists Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald, respectively. They are the first African American artists to be commissioned by the gallery to paint official portraits of a former president or first lady.

Take a look at the stunning works below:

Abaca Press/AP
Olivier Douliery/AP

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Which is also a pretty great way to describe Mother Jones' mission: People coming together around the truth to hold power accountable.

And right now, we need to raise about $400,000 from our online readers over the next two months to hit our annual goal and make good on that mission. Read more about the information war we find ourselves in and how people-powered, independent reporting can and must rise to the challenge—and please support our team's truth-telling journalism with a donation if you can right now.

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