Portraits of Hope

S1 E1: Even before the portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama were unveiled in 2018, they were already major news for being the first commissioned paintings of an African-American president and first lady by African-American artists. From the electric unveiling at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery to the early stops of their national, five-city tour, we reveal the historical, cultural, and emotional significance of the Obama portraits, as described by the artists (Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald), curators, fans, and the president himself.