Internationally acclaimed artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby has been selected to create the first official portrait of President Barack Obama and the First Lady Michelle Obama for the Obama Presidential Center opening in Chicago in summer 2026. Audiences familiar with Crosby’s captivating works, including “The Beautyful Ones” Series #7 on view in the ICA’s galleries, recognize the artist’s exquisite and densely layered surfaces that incorporate painting, drawing, collage, photo, and printmaking to reflect on the importance of the dailyness of life. Join ICA’s Barbara Lee Chief Curator Ruth Erickson for an engaging conversation with Crosby, as the artist reflects on her creative process, her ongoing exploration of hope and optimism in The Beautyful Ones series, and the significance of her latest historic commission.
Make the most of your ICA visit! Explore the galleries and re-visit Njideka Akunyili’s “The Beautyful Ones” Series #7 and Facets: Screen Wall. Enjoy a drink and light bite in the waterfront Wine + Coffee Bar.
About the Artist
In her methodically layered compositions, Njideka Akunyili Crosby combines painted depictions of people, places, and subjects from her life with photographic transfers derived from her personal image archives and mass media sources. The resulting works are visual tapestries that vivify the personal and social dimensions of contemporary life while evocatively expressing the intricacies of African diasporic identity.
Akunyili Crosby was born in Enugu, Nigeria, and currently lives and works in Los Angeles. She was a participant in La Biennale di Venezia, 58th International Art Exhibition, May You Live In Interesting Times, curated by Ralph Rugoff in 2019. The artist was awarded an honorary doctorate from Otis College (2024), University of the Arts (2020), and Swarthmore College (2019). She is also the recipient of a 2017 MacArthur Fellowship and has received a number of awards and grants, including the Prix Canson (2016); Next Generation Prize, New Museum (2015); Joyce Alexander Wein Artist Prize (2015); and the James Dicke Contemporary Artist Prize, The Smithsonian American Art Museum (2014), among others. She was an Artist in Residence at The Studio Museum in Harlem from 2011 to 2012. Akunyili Crosby’s work is held in significant museum collections throughout the world, including the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston (ICA).