WHAT: “The Obama Portraits Tour” at the High Museum of Art
The High Museum of Art presents the portraits of former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama by artists Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald, respectively, as part of a five-city, nationwide tour organized by the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.
WHEN: High Museum of Art members will have the first chance to purchase tickets from Oct. 11 to Oct. 15, 2021. Museum Pass holders may purchase tickets beginning on Oct. 18 at 10 a.m. and ending on Oct. 19 at 5 p.m. General admission tickets for “The Obama Portraits Tour” will become available Oct. 25, 2021, until all timeslots are reserved.
“The Obama Portraits Tour” will be on view at the High from Jan. 14 through March 20, 2012.
WHERE: Visit www.high.org/exhibition/the-obama-portraits-tour to purchase tickets.
HOW: Advance tickets must be purchased through the High’s website: www.high.org. Due to the nature and popularity of the exhibition, tickets will be sold for specific dates and time slots. There are no refunds or exchanges for exhibition tickets, and tickets are non-transferable.
Ticket prices:
$8.25 each for the High’s members and $16.50 each for Museum Pass holders and the general public (ages 6 and over).*
During the run of the exhibition, the High will host four free days, when admission is complimentary for all guests (reservations required). Those dates will include two Second Sundays (Feb. 13 and March 13, 2022), President’s Day (Monday, Feb. 21, 2022) and March 9, 2022. Reservations for these dates will be available later this year.
*Except for admission during Friday Jazz and HIGH Frequency Friday events, which have a higher ticket price, and on free admission days (see above).
MORE DETAILS: An extensive list of FAQs is online at www.high.org/obama-faq with more specifics about ticket purchases, tips for planning your visit and details about the exhibition experience.
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION:
The High Museum of Art presents the portraits of former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama by artists Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald, respectively, as part of “The Obama Portraits Tour,” organized by the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. The portraits will be on view Jan. 14 to March 20, 2022, in the High’s Stent Family Wing special exhibition galleries.
In addition to the portraits, the exhibition will feature an approximately eight-minute video providing background on the commissioning of the portraits by the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery and putting them into the context of the national collection of presidential portraits. During the run of the exhibition, the High will present public programs including a conversation with the exhibition curators, host student field trips, and offer teachers professional development opportunities presented in collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery.
The Portrait Gallery holds the nation’s only complete collection of U.S. presidential portraits that is accessible to the public. It began commissioning presidential portraits in 1994 with George H.W. Bush and commissioned its first portrait of a First Lady in 2006 with Hillary Rodham Clinton.
The paintings by Wiley and Sherald are the subject of a richly illustrated book, “The Obama Portraits” (2020), which delves into the making of these two artworks. Published by the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in partnership with Princeton University Press, the book, along with merchandise inspired by the artworks, can be purchased at the High Museum Shop and online at museumshop.high.org.
The tour commenced June 18, 2021, at the Art Institute of Chicago and continues through May 30, 2022. Additional tour locations include the Brooklyn Museum, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
For more on the Portrait Gallery and the full tour schedule, visit npg.si.edu/obamaportraitstour.
By Chadd Scott
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