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| Dr. Stanton Thomas, Curator of Collections and Exhibits for the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, inspects a newly acquired painting by world-renowned artist Kehinde Wiley entitled Leviathan Zodiac (The World Stage: Israel). The painting a 2011, oil and gold enamel on canvas, will be presented for public display in January, 2020. |
More evidence that Tampa Bay’s art game is leveling up comes with the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg acquisition of an important work by Los Angeles-born contemporary artist
Kehinde Wiley. Leviathan Zodiac is part of the Nigerian-American artist’s large-scale portraiture series The World Stage: Israel. Wiley is best known for his official portrait of President Barack Obama in the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. He paints people of color dressed in street wear, in traditional poses typically held by white men throughout art history. He sandwiches realistically painted figures between incredibly intricate and colorful design motifs. [
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| Kehinde Wiley, Leviathan Zodiac (The World Stage: Israel), 2011, Oil and gold enamel on canvas, Acquired from the Collection of Blake Byrne, Los Angeles. Museum purchase with funds donated by the Collectors Circle for its 25th Anniversary with additional funds from James G. Sweeny |
