Kehinde Wiley

Born Los Angeles, CA

Kehinde Wiley (American, b. 1977)

A painter critical of culture, Wiley was born in Los Angeles, CA and studied at San Francisco Art Institute (BFA, 1999) and Yale University (MFA, 2001). His hyper-realistic portraits depict African American men, including well-known rappers and athletes, adopting the staged poses of white heroes, dressed in contemporary street clothes and set in front of highly patterned backgrounds. Referencing famous art historical works, these tongue-in-cheek portraits examine masculinity, celebrity, racial politics, and the power of representation within the art historical canon.

Important Source Material:

Kehinde Wiley Website - http://www.kehindewiley.com/misc_2012/Adam_Byrd.html

Golden, Thelma. Kehinde Wiley. New York: Rizzoli, 2012.

NHS