The Obamas' portraits are unveiled at the National Gallery

The Obamas' portraits are unveiled at the National Gallery



Former President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama were joined by a who's who of their administration – and some Hollywood types too – for the official unveiling of their portraits at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.



'That's pretty sharp,' the ex-president said as he and artist Kehinde Wiley pulled the cloth off Obama's portrait, which showed the Democrat in a tie-less get-up, seated, surrounded by a floral motif.



Michelle Obama's portrait, created by Amy Sherald, had been unveiled first, and the former president quickly applauded the artist for capturing the 'hotness of the woman that I love.'



Both of the Obamas talked about the intimate process of getting their portrait painted, including the fact that each artist had to interview with the then-president and first lady in the Oval Office.



'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry,' the former FLOTUS told the two artists, saying her first order of business was to apologize to them for making them go through those grillings.



The Obamas noted how neither had sat for a portrait before, with the ex-president calling attention to his high school yearbook photo saying it was 'no great shakes.' 



'I am a little overwhelmed to say the least,' the former first lady confessed upon seeing the work, which depicted the style icon wearing a patterned Milly dress, specifically designed for the sitting.



Michelle Obama said she was drawn to Sherald immediately, calling the bespectacled portraitist 'cute' and 'fly.'



The former first lady particularly liked that Sherald, who was a contender for either portrait, dared to say in front of the president, 'Mrs. Obama, I'm really hoping that you can I can work together.'



'And after that, she and I started talking and Barack kind of faded into the woodwork,' Michelle Obama said, noting she had 'that kind of sister-girl connection' with Sherald.



The ex-president joked that he had bonded with Wiley too, but 'maybe not in the same way as this whole-sister girl thing.'



'We shook hands,' Obama said with a straight face.



The ex-president also said that he had asked Wiley to change certain things about his appearance, including making his hair – which was jet black when he entered the White House – less grey, and shrinking his trademark big ears.



Obama also said that Wiley wanted to make the portrait more grandiose than having the former POTUS simply sit in a chair.



'I had to explain that I have enough political problems,' Obama said, suggesting that the artist wanted to mount him on a horse, among other ideas. 'Gotta bring it down just a touch.'



When it was Wiley's turn to speak he called the star of his painting out.





'So how do you explain that a lot of that is simply not true?' Wiley mused. 'What is true is that this is an insane situation,' said the artist, whose last works hung in the National Gallery were of hip-hop artists.



Online the portraits were greeted with mixed reaction with the president's portrait being compared to Beyonce's pregnancy and birth announcements – as the singer had similarly posed in front of a floral backdrop – while many commented that Michelle Obama's muted portrait looked nothing like her.



The reception in the room was much better, both to the art and to President Trump's predecessor.



Obama told the audience, 'We miss you guys', as the crowd replied almost in unison that they missed the former First Family too. 



Seated several rows away were actor Tom Hanks and Director Steven Spielberg, one of the paintings' donors; also, CBS' Gayle King, also known as Oprah Winfrey's best friend.



'Special shout-out to my man Joe Biden,' the ex-president said, looking down on his former veep.



Biden's wife Jill, Michelle Obama noted, wasn't there yet because she got stuck in traffic.



'And even more special shout-out to my mother-in-law,' Obama also said to Michelle's mother, Marian Robinson, who he applauded for providing his wife with her 'hotness genes.'