07:59
Cosmo
Kehinde Wiley
American, born 1977
Two Sisters, 2012
Oil on linen
96 x 72 in.
Kehinde Wiley is an acclaimed contemporary painter who is widely recognized for his portraits referencing the art of the Old Masters. (The painting above is one such example, based on Les deux sœurs by French Romantic painter Théodore Chassériau.) His portraits elevate contemporary African-American subjects – frequently wearing sneakers, sweatpants, and other articles of clothing associated with hip-hop culture – to the status of European noblemen, aristocrats, and heroes, thereby drawing attention to the lack of Black figures in the art historical canon. Wiley selects his subjects by “street casting” – inviting people off the street to pose for his portraits, and allowing them to select from a book which painting they would like to recreate.
The artist has a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute, and graduated with an MFA from Yale’s School of Art in 2001. His work has been featured in over 20 exhibitions in the United States and Europe since 2006.
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