Kehinde Wiley| Studio Museum Harlem

Kehinde Wiley, a New York painter. A true portrait painter and young master of classical portrait styles. His new paintings are currently being exhibited at The Studio Museum Harlem.

Last year i had the honor to go visit him at his studio in Brooklyn. He was preparing for the current exhibition. At the studio, he was taking photographs of young African American male models and he was looking through art history books to find images from 15th-18th century European classical paintings. He was depicting these models to look like royal kings or noble mens. The models were dressed in urban wear with facial and body expressions that emulated portrait figures by artist like Titian,Valasquez,John Singer Sargent etc.... I think Kehinde Wiley is making a statement by using young African American men in classical backdrops to show how these men of color are proud and young but vulnerable at the same time...... please stop by the exhibition, it goes until july17-oct 26, 2008.

The Studio Museum in Harlem

144 West 125th Street, New York, New York