Presented by the White House Historical Association
Obama White House Portraits: The Artists
- Host
- Stewart McLaurin
- Guest
- Robert McCurdy, Painted the Official White House Portrait of President Barack Obama; Sharon Sprung, Painted the Official White House Portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama
- Date
- 9/7/22
- Duration
- 42 minutes
The White House Historical Association commissions official portraits of the president and first lady. As is the custom, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama picked their portrait artists before leaving office. The artists’ names were kept confidential - until now. The official Obama portraits were unveiled at a White House ceremony hosted by President Joseph Biden and First Lady Jill Biden on September 7, 2022. Association President Stewart McLaurin spoke to the artists Robert McCurdy and Sharon Sprung about the challenges of this unique historical assignment, their approach to creating the portraits, and what it feels like to know your work will hang in one of the greatest galleries in the world, the White House.
Robert McCurdy painted the official White House portrait of President Barack Obama.
Sharon Sprung painted the official White House portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama.
Episodes
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The White House Recording Library: The Forgotten Collection
Featuring John Chuldenko, writer, director, and grandson of President Jimmy Carter
-
Abraham Lincoln, Robert Burns, and the Scottish Connection
Featuring Professor Murray Pittock, Burns historian and professor of literature at the University of Glasgow; Mr. Ian Houston, President of the Scottish Business Network Americas
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The History and Making of the Official White House Christmas Ornaments
Featuring Richard Rovsek, Board Trustee at Spirit of Liberty Foundation; Dave Marquis, President of ChemArt, Kim Fyfe, Graphics Manager at ChemArt
-
Voices from a Night at the Met
Featuring First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, Ambassador Caroline Kennedy, David M Rubenstein, Al Roker, Fred Ryan, NYU Steinhardt School Chamber Orchestra
-
A Discussion with the Voices of Lafayette Park
Featuring Hilary West, Executive Director for Federal Government Relations at JPMorgan Chase, and Royce L. Dickerson, MBA Candidate at the University of Alabama’s Manderson Graduate School of Business
-
U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps
Featuring SGM J. Mark Reilly, Senior Enlisted Band Leader, and SGM(R) Billy White, Former Operations Sergeant Major
-
Designing Camelot
Featuring Authors James Archer Abbott and Elaine Rice Bachmann
President of the White House Historical Association
As President of the White House Historical Association Stewart McLaurin leads the nonpartisan, nonprofit in its mission to preserve, protect, and provide access to White House history. As a lifelong student of history, Stewart is an avid reader and storyteller. His first book, White House Miscellany was published this past year and he authors a quarterly column in the White House History Journal. Drawing on his own experiences, relationships, and knowledge he provides listeners with a front row seat to history at the White House.