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Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama
Usage Conditions Apply
Title
Michelle O
Artist
Mickalene Thomas, born 28 Jan 1971
Sitter
Michelle Obama, born 17 Jan 1964
Date
2008
Type
Print
Medium
Screenprint on paper
Dimensions
Sheet: 63.6 × 49.6 cm (25 1/16 × 19 1/2")
Mat (Verified): 71.1 × 55.9 cm (28 × 22")
Frame: 73 × 58 cm (28 3/4 × 22 13/16")
Topic
Michelle Obama: Female
Michelle Obama: Law and Crime\Lawyer
Michelle Obama: Politics and Government\First Lady\First Lady of US
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Kenneth I. Schaner
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Copyright
© 2014 Mickalene Thomas/Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York
Object number
NPG.2010.56
Exhibition Label
Born Chicago, Illinois
Playfully titling this screenprint of the nation’s first African American first lady Michelle O, Mickalene Thomas creates an implicit comparison between Michelle Obama’s youthful, fashion-forward glamour and that of Jacqueline Kennedy. In addition to the extraordinary support she has lent to her husband’s political career, Michelle Obama—here depicted as personable, confident, and forthright—is herself a Harvard-trained lawyer. Prior to her husband’s election, she demonstrated her own impressive legal and administrative skills, building an influential career in Chicago devoted largely to stimulating and supporting public service. As first lady, Obama has continued to stress the importance of social issues and has put special focus on the challenge of eradicating childhood obesity through healthy eating and exercise. In her husband’s second term, she has launched new initiatives to urge Americans to continue their education beyond high school and to support service members, veterans, and their families.
Nacida en Chicago, Illinois
Mickalene Thomas ha titulado con humor Michelle O esta serigrafía de la primera afroamericana que ocupa el puesto de primera dama del país, con lo cual implica una comparación entre el glamour joven y vanguardista de Michelle Obama y el de Jacqueline Kennedy. Además de su extraordinario apoyo a la carrera política de su esposo, Michelle Obama (quien aquí se proyecta amable, segura y directa) es una abogada graduada de Harvard. Antes de la elección de su esposo, dejó demostradas sus notables destrezas legales y administrativas con una influyente carrera en Chicago, dedicada sobre todo a fomentar y respaldar el servicio público. Como primera dama, Obama ha seguido enfatizando la importancia de las causas sociales, con atención especial al reto de erradicar la obesidad infantil mediante hábitos alimenticios sanos y ejercicio. Durante el segundo término de su esposo ha lanzado nuevas iniciativas para exhortar a los estadounidenses a continuar sus estudios más allá de la escuela superior y a respaldar a los miembros del ejército, los veteranos y sus familiares.
Mickalene Thomas (nacida en 1971)
Serigrafía, 2008
Donación de Kenneth I. Schaner
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Location
Currently not on view