"Portrait of Nana Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana" (2023) by Kehinde Wiley. The painting is one of 11 portraits of African heads of state and former heads of state produced by Wiley as part of a secret, decade-long project titled "A Maze of Power," on display at the Musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac in Paris, France. <strong><em>Scroll through to discover more.</em></strong>
"Portrait of Nana Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana" (2023) by Kehinde Wiley. The painting is one of 11 portraits of African heads of state and former heads of state produced by Wiley as part of a secret, decade-long project titled "A Maze of Power," on display at the Musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac in Paris, France. Scroll through to discover more.
Tanguy Beurdeley/© Courtesy Kehinde Wiley and Galerie Templon
The artist shared with his sitters a binder of 17th to 19th century Western portraits as inspiration -- "a vocabulary of power that each one of the presidents could choose to work with or choose to ignore," said Wiley, in a video accompanying the exhibition. Hery Rajaonarimampianina, the former president of Madagascar, decided he wanted to be depicted on horseback.
The artist shared with his sitters a binder of 17th to 19th century Western portraits as inspiration -- "a vocabulary of power that each one of the presidents could choose to work with or choose to ignore," said Wiley, in a video accompanying the exhibition. Hery Rajaonarimampianina, the former president of Madagascar, decided he wanted to be depicted on horseback.
Tanguy Beurdeley/© Courtesy Kehinde Wiley and Galerie Templon
"Portrait of Olusegun Obasanjo, Former President of Nigeria" (2023) by Kehinde Wiley. The US artist, who lives between New York, Lagos and Dakar, asked his models to wear whatever was comfortable for their photoshoots, before he painted the leaders from the photos back in his studio.
"Portrait of Olusegun Obasanjo, Former President of Nigeria" (2023) by Kehinde Wiley. The US artist, who lives between New York, Lagos and Dakar, asked his models to wear whatever was comfortable for their photoshoots, before he painted the leaders from the photos back in his studio.
Tanguy Beurdeley/© Courtesy Kehinde Wiley and Galerie Templon
"Portrait of Macky Sall, President of Senegal" (2023) by Kehinde Wiley. The sitter and the artist both decided on other elements in the portraits. "What I wanted was this kind of negotiation back and forth between the real and the imagined," said the artist.
"Portrait of Macky Sall, President of Senegal" (2023) by Kehinde Wiley. The sitter and the artist both decided on other elements in the portraits. "What I wanted was this kind of negotiation back and forth between the real and the imagined," said the artist.
Tanguy Beurdeley/© Courtesy Kehinde Wiley and Galerie Templon
A view of the exhibition space for "A Maze of Power," featuring a portrait (right) of Alpha Condé, former president of Guinea. Condé was deposed in a coup in 2021. "This is not a celebration of individual leaders. This is a look at the presidency itself," said Wiley.
A view of the exhibition space for "A Maze of Power," featuring a portrait (right) of Alpha Condé, former president of Guinea. Condé was deposed in a coup in 2021. "This is not a celebration of individual leaders. This is a look at the presidency itself," said Wiley.
Tanguy Beurdeley/© Courtesy Kehinde Wiley and Galerie Templon
"Portrait of Alassane Ouattara, President of Ivory Coast" (2023) by Kehinde Wiley (left). The artist has harnessed the visual language of paintings by Old Masters before, using members of the public, artists and celebrities as his sitters.
"Portrait of Alassane Ouattara, President of Ivory Coast" (2023) by Kehinde Wiley (left). The artist has harnessed the visual language of paintings by Old Masters before, using members of the public, artists and celebrities as his sitters.
Tanguy Beurdeley/© Courtesy Kehinde Wiley and Galerie Templon
"Portrait of Faure Gnassingbé, President of Togo" (2023) by Kehinde Wiley. The idea for a collection of portraits of Black presidents was inspired by the election of US President Barack Obama in 2008 -- long before Wiley received the commission to paint the official portrait of Obama.
"Portrait of Faure Gnassingbé, President of Togo" (2023) by Kehinde Wiley. The idea for a collection of portraits of Black presidents was inspired by the election of US President Barack Obama in 2008 -- long before Wiley received the commission to paint the official portrait of Obama.
Julien De Rosa/AFP/Getty Images
"Portrait of Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of the Republic of Congo" (2023) by Kehinde Wiley. Unlike Wiley's portrait of Barack Obama, which is on display at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, the portraits in "A Maze of Power" are not official. The sitters were not shown their portraits before they went on display. A representative from the gallery said no leader had visited the collection at the time of writing.
"Portrait of Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of the Republic of Congo" (2023) by Kehinde Wiley. Unlike Wiley's portrait of Barack Obama, which is on display at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, the portraits in "A Maze of Power" are not official. The sitters were not shown their portraits before they went on display. A representative from the gallery said no leader had visited the collection at the time of writing.
Julien De Rosa/AFP/Getty Images
"Portrait of Sahle-Work Zewde, President of Ethiopa" (2023) by Kehinde Wiley. "The maze of power [the project title] is the maze that's being run by me, the artist, but also by the sitter," said Wiley. "The sitter deciding how they want to be seen; me responding to their set of decisions."
"Portrait of Sahle-Work Zewde, President of Ethiopa" (2023) by Kehinde Wiley. "The maze of power [the project title] is the maze that's being run by me, the artist, but also by the sitter," said Wiley. "The sitter deciding how they want to be seen; me responding to their set of decisions."
Tanguy Beurdeley/© Courtesy Kehinde Wiley and Galerie Templon