Kehinde Wiley and His Royal Palette: My Experience

Kehinde Wiley Exhibit at the Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth, TX

Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of witnessing an art exhibit at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.  It was a spotlight on the work attributed to one of the greatest painters I think I’ll ever bear witness to in my lifetime: Kehinde Wiley.  The exhibit highlighted the paintings in Wiley’s collection “A New Republic”.  Kehinde himself describes “A New Republic” as an avenue for the world to be able to see a vibrant depiction “of what Black American kids are up to” and change the narrative of how Black Americans are viewed.  Wiley’s work in this exhibit does just that.  From juxtaposing human, black and brown bodies against stained glass to showing black women in stances and poses as more than muses but statuesque symbols of royalty.  He further describes the Black women in his works as “strident”, painting them as strong beings of extraordinary confidence and bravado; the kind of confidence that, in portrait paintings, is only awarded to men.  Needless to say, I enjoyed every bit of my timeless and breathtaking experience with Kehinde’s portraiture.  Here is a glimpse of the greatness I was able to witness live and in living color.