2015 is already shaping up to be artist Kehinde Wiley's year. Known for his brightly colored portraits of black men and women in a style that pulls from Old Master paintings, Wiley has been a force in the art world for a while now. He has even painted the likes of Swizz Beatz, Spike Lee, and Carmelo Anthony for a series titled "Kings of Culture." Back in October, the Brooklyn Museum of Art announced that Wiley's first museum survey exhibition, titled "Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic" will open on Feb. 20.
According to Artnet, Los Angeles-based gallery Roberts & Tilton recently announced that on Jan. 21, Secretary of State John Kerry will present Wiley with the U.S. State Department Medal of Arts for his "substantive commitment to the U.S. State Department's cultural diplomacy outreach through the visual arts."
At the inaugural Medal of Arts Ceremony in 2013, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton presented the award to five artists: Jeff Koons, Carrie Mae Weems, Cai Guo-Qiang, Kiki Smith, and Shahzia Sikander. So far, Kehinde Wiley is the only known recipient of the 2015 award, but an official announcement has yet to be made. Leave your predictions for others who deserve the Medal of Arts in the comments below, and stay tuned for any updates from the U.S. State Department.
UPDATE: The six other Medal of Arts recipients have been announced. Julie Mehretu, Maya Lin, Xu Bing, Mark Bradford, Pedro Reyes, and Sam Gilliam will join Kehinde Wiley on stage at the ceremony to be presented with their individual awards by John Kerry. Artnet writes that all seven artists are veterans of the State Department's Art in Embassies program which "brings artwork to over 200 American consulates and embassies around the world as part of the State Departments efforts to promote cultural diplomacy."
[via Artnet]
