Kehinde Wiley to Receive the US Department of State Medal of Arts

ARTNET NEWS
By Alex Greenberger
"The Dead Christ in a Tomb" (c. 2007)
NEW YORK---New York-based portraitist Kehinde Wiley will be awarded the U.S. Department of State Medal of Arts. Known for his flashy paintings that depict black men and women in the style of Old Master portraiture, Wiley is being honored for using his art to promote cultural diplomacy. He will receive his medal from Secretary of State John Kerry on January 21. The announcement precedes another landmark in the artist’s career—”Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic,” the painter’s first museum survey, which will open at the Brooklyn Museum in February.  [link]