Culture

Barack Obama Is Quite Pleased That An Artist Who Painted A Portrait Of Michelle Was Able To Capture Her ‘Hotness’

Barack and Michelle Obama returned to Washington, D.C. on Monday.

It had nothing to do with politics (or taking back the White House), though. Rather, the Obamas visited the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery for the unveiling of their official portraits. The former president and First Lady’s likenesses were depicted by Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald, the first-ever African-Americans to be commissioned to paint the official portraits.

Kim Sajet, director of the National Portrait Gallery, praised the artists, who were handpicked by Barack and Michelle personally, for making “art that reflects the power and potential of portraiture in the 21st century.”

During the ceremony, Barack called his portrait, with its striking garden background (and suspiciously large hands), “pretty sharp” and joked, “I tried to negotiate less gray hair and Kehinde’s artistic integrity would not allow (him) to do what I asked. I tried to negotiate smaller ears. Struck out on that as well.” He also thanked Sherald for “so spectacularly capturing the grace and beauty and intelligence and charm and hotness of the woman I love,” while Michelle added, “I’m also thinking about all the young people, particularly girls and girls of color, who in years ahead will come to this place and they will look up, and they will see an image of someone who looks like them hanging on the wall.”

Getty Image

The Obamas’ “hotness” is also on display on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/themaxburns/status/963077927754747909

https://twitter.com/MsPackyetti/status/963078607622037505

https://twitter.com/lpbradley/status/963081328500662278

https://twitter.com/Slade/status/963086321114910720

https://twitter.com/michaelianblack/status/963079785911070722

The portraits will be on display at the National Portrait Gallery beginning Tuesday.

(Via ABC News)