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Roberts Projects
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Los Angeles, USA
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Kehinde Wiley

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b. 1977, USA

By applying the visual vocabulary and conventions of glorification, wealth, prestige, and history to subject matter drawn from the urban fabric, Kehinde Wiley makes his subjects and their stylistic references juxtaposed inversions of each other, forcing ambiguity and provocative perplexity to pervade his imagery. As technically impressive as they are conceptually complex, Wiley's portraits feature young black men in classic heroic poses, destabilising canonical ideas of white masculinity and power. In his related, ongoing 'World Stage' series, Wiley's heroic figures are depicted in front of colourful background patterns that make specific reference to textiles and decorative patterns of various cultures, from 19th-century Judaica paper cutouts to Martha Stewart's interior colour swatches. Wiley's penchant for jarring juxtapositions stems from his desire to complicate notions of group identity.

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In 2018 Wiley became the first African-American artist to paint an official U.S. Presidential portrait for the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. Former U.S.President Barack Obama selected Wiley for this honour. In 2019 the artist launched Black Rock Senegal, a non-profit artist-in-residence program located in Dakar, Senegal. That same year, Wiley debuted his first large-scale public sculpture in Times Square, New York, showcasing a young African American man astride a rearing horse. In 2020 Wiley received France's distinction of Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters.

Text courtesy Roberts Projects.

Recent Exhibitions

Contemporary art exhibition, Group Exhibition, Synchronicity at Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, USA Closed 19 September–5 December 2020 Group Exhibition Synchronicity

Recent Artworks

Portrait of Alimatou Diop by Kehinde Wiley contemporary artwork painting, works on paper
Kehinde Wiley Portrait of Alimatou Diop, 2020 Oil on linen
182.9 x 152.9 cm
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Roberts Projects
Portrait of Prince Anthony Hall by Kehinde Wiley contemporary artwork painting
Kehinde Wiley Portrait of Prince Anthony Hall, 2020 Oil on linen
243.8 x 182.9 cm
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Roberts Projects
Portrait of Harper Watters by Kehinde Wiley contemporary artwork painting
Kehinde Wiley Portrait of Harper Watters, 2019 Oil on linen
233.7 x 175.3 cm
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Roberts Projects
Smile by Kehinde Wiley contemporary artwork print, moving image
Kehinde Wiley Smile, 2016 Digital video, 90 minutes colour
Roberts Projects Contact Gallery

Kehinde Wiley In Ocula Magazine

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In Photos: Five Fantastic Booths at Frieze Los Angeles 2022 Ocula Photolog In Photos: Five Fantastic Booths at Frieze Los Angeles 2022

Look inside the booths of five featured galleries: Blum & Poe, Goodman Gallery, Pilar Corrias, Roberts Projects, and Sean Kelly.

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Are Contemporary Artists Any Good in the Kitchen? Ocula News Are Contemporary Artists Any Good in the Kitchen? London, 4 October 2021

Phaidon's new cookbook The Kitchen Studio introduces favourite dishes and unusual techniques from artists Olafur Eliasson, Laura Wilson, and Kehinde Wiley, among others.

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Kehinde Wiley Pivots From Portraits to Landscapes in New Show Ocula News Kehinde Wiley Pivots From Portraits to Landscapes in New Show London, 15 February 2021

Organised by London's National Gallery, the exhibition will include both paintings and a film when it premieres later this winter.

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Portraitist Amy Sherald Obliterates Auction Record Ocula News Portraitist Amy Sherald Obliterates Auction Record New York, 9 December 2020

Works by Black artists outstripped estimates several times over at Phillips' New York auction last night.

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Ocula Magazine Read More (6) In Ocula Magazine

Kehinde Wiley In Related Press

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Simone Leigh, Wangechi Mutu, Kehinde Wiley, and Vinnie Bagwell In the Running for New Central Park Memorial Related Press Simone Leigh, Wangechi Mutu, Kehinde Wiley, and Vinnie Bagwell In the Running for New Central Park Memorial 3 October 2019, Hyperallergic

J. Marion Sims, sometimes referred to as the 'father of modern gynecology,' was a 19th-century doctor who conducted brutal, nonconsensual experimental surgeries on enslaved Black women without using a

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Kehinde Wiley (and His Infinity Pool) Are Ready to Spoil Artists Related Press Kehinde Wiley (and His Infinity Pool) Are Ready to Spoil Artists 4 June 2019, The New York Times

DAKAR, Senegal — The art star Kehinde Wiley is standing in the middle of his spacious bedroom with mint green walls looking like a little kid who can't wait to blurt out the surprise he's been keepin

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Kehinde Wiley’s Tahitian works — an island idyll seen through a fresh lens Related Press Kehinde Wiley’s Tahitian works — an island idyll seen through a fresh lens 30 May 2019, Financial Times

On the island idyll, the artist has immersed himself in the lives and ways of the Mahu, a centuries-old community made up of transgender women (Mahu is the traditional Polynesian classification of peo

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Bonaparte comes to Brooklyn: Napoleonic paintings by Kehinde Wiley and Jacques-Louis David to be united Related Press Bonaparte comes to Brooklyn: Napoleonic paintings by Kehinde Wiley and Jacques-Louis David to be united 21 May 2019, The Art Newspaper

Jacques-Louis David’s celebrated 19 th -century portrait of Napoleon on horseback will be shown alongside the US artist Kehinde Wiley’s dramatic homage to David’s painting for the first time this autu

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Related Press Read More (14) In Related Press

Kehinde Wiley In Video & Audio

Tahiti - Kehinde Wiley Related Video & Audio Tahiti - Kehinde Wiley 23 May 2019, Templon

© Sylvie Boulloud Galerie Templon, Paris KEDINDE WILEY Tahiti - Kehinde Wiley 18 May—20 July 2019 GALERIE TEMPLON, PARIS – GRENIER SAINT LAZARE

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'Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic' video series Related Video & Audio 'Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic' video series 17 April 2017, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Produced to accompany the exhibition, Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic, this video series features the artist himself discussing his background, work, process, philosophy, and art historical influences

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A New Republic: The portrait work of artist Kehinde Wiley Related Video & Audio A New Republic: The portrait work of artist Kehinde Wiley 24 March 2015, Brooklyn Museum

Blending and contrasting contemporary clothes and objects with ornate fabrics, lush plant life, detailed patterns, and bold colors that reference earlier eras of art history, Kehinde Wiley's heroic po

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