Michelle Obama Portrait Debuts in Smithsonian

A new portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama went on display at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington. D.C. last week. The individual portrait of Mrs. Obama, titled “Michelle O.” was painted by New York-based Mickalene Thomas, who is also African-American and is part of the “Americans Now” exhibition at the Smithsonian. Thomas is the first artist to paint an individual portrait of the country’s first African-American First Lady. The exhibition features portraits of famous names in business, government and the arts. Other famous painted faces in the exhibition include LL Cool J, Martha Stewart and LeBron James. “Americans Now” is on exhibition through July 11, 2011.