Obama portraits coming to Los Angeles during 2021 national tour

LOS ANGELES -- The wildly popular official portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama are coming to Los Angeles as part of a national tour in 2021, the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery announced Thursday.

The year-long tour will include a stop at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art from Nov. 2021 to January 2022, according to the gallery.

The portraits of former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama were painted by artists Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald, respectively. The 42-year-old Wiley grew up in Los Angeles.

Since their arrival in the Smithsonian two years ago, the portraits have been a popular attraction at the museum.

Beginning in June 2021, the portraits will be displayed at five museums across the country including Chicago, Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Houston. These locations were chosen based on their connections to the former first couple and the artists.

The first stop for the Obama portraits will be the Art Institute of Chicago.

The tour is expected to last until May 2022.