Amy Sherald Signs With CAA

Amy Sherald — whose 2018 portrait of Michelle Obama made her a household name — has signed with CAA for representation, marking a major next chapter for one of contemporary art's most celebrated voices.

Art

uristocrat

January 21, 2026 1 min read

Painter Amy Sherald has signed with CAA for representation. Sherald was selected by Michelle Obama in 2018 to paint her official portrait for the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. The portrait brought Sherald widespread public recognition.

Background

Sherald received her MFA in painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art and her BA in painting from Clark-Atlanta University. She is based in New York City. Her work appears in collections at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Nasher Museum of Art, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, and Tate Gallery.

Awards

2017: Anonymous Was A Woman Award 2018: Smithsonian Ingenuity Award 2024: W.E.B. Du Bois Medal, Harvard's highest honor in African and African American studies Sherald's portrait work documents the African American experience.