Question 1

True or false: Wiley’s painting "Napoleon Leading the Army over the Alps" replaced a horse with a brown leather jacket.

Accepted Answer

True. His 2005 work reimagines Jacques-Louis David's Napoleon crossing the Alps, swapping the white horse for a modern jacket and pose.

Question 2

True or false: Wiley’s paintings exclusively feature Black men in historical European poses.

Accepted Answer

False. He also paints women, as seen in his "The World Stage" series and portraits of Queen Latifah and others, expanding beyond just men.

Question 3

True or false: Kehinde Wiley painted the official portrait of President Barack Obama for the Smithsonian.

Accepted Answer

True. Wiley painted Obama's official portrait for the National Portrait Gallery, unveiled in 2018, making him the first Black artist to do so.

Question 4

True or false: Wiley’s portrait series "The World Stage" includes paintings of people from Israel, Jamaica, and Senegal.

Accepted Answer

True. He traveled to these countries to paint locals, blending street fashion with classical portraiture, starting in 2006.

Question 5

True or false: Wiley’s 2023 sculpture "Rumors of War" is a bronze equestrian statue installed in Times Square.

Accepted Answer

False. The sculpture was installed at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, not Times Square, to counter Confederate monuments.

Question 6

True or false: Wiley once modeled for a Gucci campaign while painting their runway show.

Accepted Answer

True. In 2018, Wiley collaborated with Gucci, painting live during their Fall/Winter show and later appearing in a campaign for the brand.

Question 7

True or false: Kehinde Wiley was a child actor, appearing in a 1990s Nickelodeon show.

Accepted Answer

False. He was a serious art student from a young age, attending the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, with no acting career.

Question 8

True or false: Kehinde Wiley’s first art job was painting portraits of dogs for wealthy families.

Accepted Answer

False. He actually started by painting portraits of strangers on the streets of New York, not dogs, to fund his art school education.

Kehinde Wiley Trivia Questions