Kehinde Wiley: Flourish
Flourish is an exhibition of new portraits by Kehinde Wiley, marking his first major solo exhibition in The Netherlands. This new body of work responds to the collection and interiors at Museum Van Loom, addressing links between Western portraiture, Dutch global colonial presence and contemporary art as social and cultural practice.
Kehinde Wiley is internationally celebrated for his striking portraits that blend classical European painting traditions with contemporary representation. His work reinterprets the artistic language of nobility and power, placing Black and brown people – often individuals he meets around the world – at the center of his compositions. In 2018 Kehinde Wiley unveiled President Barack Obama’s iconic portrait – the first African-American to be commissioned the official U.S. Presidential portrait.
In 2019 Museum Van Loon changed course, putting the historic collection to use as a platform for storytelling that befits our variegated society, on a range of relevant themes. Director Gijs Schunselaar: ‘We care for our historic collection and want to share it with the world. At the same time, we aim to be a shepherd of todays and futures that include all. We are extremely excited to partner with Kehinde Wiley in pursuing that vision. Wiley’s work celebrates classical and contemporary aesthetics while addressing relevant contemporary issues that have become embedded in our national heritage. Flourish constitutes a prime – and spectacular – example of what drives us as an institution: bringing worlds together.’
