Amy Sherald American artist Amy Sherald attending an opening night party for Much Ado About Nothing at the Delacorte Theater in New York City, 2019. (more) Amy Sherald American artist Written by Alicja Zelazko Alicja Zelazko is Associate Editor, Arts and Humanities, covering topics in the visual arts, architecture, music, and performance. Before joining Encyclopædia Britannica in 2017, she worked at the Art... Alicja Zelazko Fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated Feb. 26, 2026 •History Amy Sherald (born August 30, 1973, Columbus, Georgia, U.S.) is an American artist who gained fame for her portrait of former U.S. first lady Michelle Obama (2018), which was commissioned by the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C. She has also received acclaim for redefining contemporary portraiture through her monumental paintings of Black Americans. Sherald notably renders the skin of her sitters in grisaille, a centuries-old technique that builds three-dimensional form through the use...

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