President Joe Biden will host former president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama next week to unveil their official portraits.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the White House said the president and first lady Jill Biden will host the Obamas on 7 September at 1.30pm.
Traditionally, first term presidents invite their predecessor for the unveiling of the portrait as a show of camaraderie, so the unveiling of portraits should have taken place under Donald Trump’s administration.
But Mr Trump snubbed the Obamas by not hosting them during his time in office. The event was also reportedly delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Hence, Mr Biden, who served as vice-president in the Obama administration, is now inviting them to unveil the portrait.
It’s not yet known who the artist of the portrait is as the process is facilitated by the privately-funded White House Historical Association.
The president and the first lady select their artists and the association negotiates a contract, which usually also includes a confidentiality agreement to keep the artist’s identity and details of the portrait secret.
Official White House portraits of presidents and first ladies are separate from those that hang in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington. All portraits of former presidents hang on the walls of ceremonial areas of the White House.
In 2018, the National Portrait Gallery unveiled portraits of the Obamas.
The portrait of Barack Obama, by Kehinde Wiley, and that of Michelle Obama by Amy Sherald, are the first presidential portraits created by Black artists.
Mr Obama’s portrait in the national gallery shows him sitting in a chair, arms folded, with a lush, green background. The greenery was meant to represent his past.
The former first lady’s portrait shows her in a seated position, wearing a geometric pattern dress and against a light blue background.
“I’ve never had a portrait done of myself,” the former president had said after the unveiling in 2018.
