Amy Sherald

About the Artist

Amy Sherald

Amy Sherald (b. 1970) is an American artist who primarily paints portraits of African Americans in everyday settings. In 2016, Sherald became the first woman as well as the first African American ever to win the National Portrait Gallery's Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition with her painting, Miss Everything (Unsuppressed Deliverance). The following year, she was selected by former First Lady Michelle Obama to paint her official portrait, becoming the first African American to receive a Presidential portrait commission from the National Portrait Gallery. The portraits were unveiled together in 2018 and have significantly increased attendance at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.