Become a Member

Skip to main content
Collections Menu

Artwork

Advanced Search
Purchased in honor of Harriet O'Banion Kelley with funds provided by The Walter F. Brown Family
David Lyon
Purchased in honor of Harriet O'Banion Kelley with funds provided by The Walter F. Brown Family
© Kehinde Wiley

David Lyon

Artist Kehinde Wiley (American, born 1977)
DepartmentContemporary Art
Date2013
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions72 x 60 in. (182.9 x 152.4 cm)
Credit LineSan Antonio Museum of Art, purchased in honor of Harriet O'Banion Kelley with funds provided by The Walter F. Brown Family
Object number2013.13
Copyright© Kehinde Wiley
Geography
Place madeUnited States
DescriptionDetailed portrait of a man wearing a brown and blue houndstooth garment. The figure is posed with his right hand resting on a cane and left arm crossed over his chest. The background is a graphic floral motif in purple, pale pink, yellow, and bright green. Floral details are also overlaid on the bottom half of the figure’s body.Label TextUtilizing the heroic postures and grand style of Old Master paintings, Kehinde Wiley reinvents the art historical tradition of portraiture with people of color. Often, Wiley’s sitters are immersed in colorful lush vegetation that is symbolic of growth and prosperity. This composition is modeled after a nineteenth-century portrait by Sir Thomas Lawrence of David Lyon—a British merchant, member of Parliament, and enslaver. Wiley began photographing young Black men on the streets of Harlem for his paintings. His practice now includes women and people of color from a variety of countries and backgrounds, exploring the complexities of identity, gender, and sexuality. In 2017, Wiley was commissioned to paint the official portrait of President Barack Obama for the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.   (Lana Meador, 2022)
On view
Collections
Purchased with funds provided by Lenora and Walter F. Brown.
Seated Figure of Buddha
Culture: Chinese
15th-16th century
Gift of Ernest Pomerantz and Marie Brenner.
Jack, Chicago
Danny Lyon
1965, printed 2008
Photography by Peggy Tenison
Damo Crossing the Yangzi
Unknown
Culture: Chinese
19th century
Cross Section #7 - Purity
Cross Section #7 - Purity
Zhou Jianxiang
Culture: Chinese
2007
San Antonio Museum of Art, gift of Gilbert M. Denman, Jr.
Wall painting depicting Hercules
Culture: Roman
1st century A.D.
Purchased with funds provided by the Bessie Timon Endowment Fund.
Crown
Culture: Liao, Khitan
907-1125
Gift of Lenora and Walter F. Brown.
Pair of Attendants
Culture: Chinese
907-1125
San Antonio Museum of Art, gift of Ricardo and Harriett Romo.
Cosmic Mirror
Rolando Briseño
2008
San Antonio Museum of Art, bequest of Gilbert M. Denman, Jr.
DEACCESSIONED: Krater (mixing bowl) with a nude youth and a seated woman
Culture: South Italian
ca. 330 B.C.
Image Not Available for David and Goliath
David and Goliath
Culture: Guna
ca. 2000
Gift of Margaret Saunders Block in honor of Gilbert M. Denman, Jr.
Portrait of a Man in a Red Cloak
Follower of Francisco Jose de Goya y Lucientes
Culture: Spanish
19th century
San Antonio Museum of Art, Gift of Gilbert M. Denman, Jr.
Portrait of Antinous as Dionysos
Culture: Roman
ca. 130-138

The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.

© 2019 San Antonio Museum of Art. All rights reserved.