Christian Martyr Tarcisius is Kehinde Wiley's largest painting ever, most recently auctioned off and sold at $844,885 USD.
But one of the things this Nigerian-American painter and sculptor is most popularly known for is his portrait of former president, Barack Obama, which is currently part of the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution.
Kehinde Wiley's naturalistic styles that carefully approach just outside the edge of magic realism is distinctive and bold. He's known to paint grand, highly detailed portraits of Black men and women in poses that seem to be inspired by classical European paintings. This challenges the traditional narratives of power, race, and representation in art. With every stroke of his brush, he reclaims the lives of Black people throughout global history and puts them in a position of strength, royalty, and grace. He creates these structures of eternal beauty for them, safeguarding their peace on canvas.
The Death of Hyacinth (Ndey Buri Mboup)