Art Controversy in the O bama W hite H ouse: Performing Tensions of Race in the Visual Politics of the Presidency

In 2009, two works by A frican A merican artists selected for display in the W hite H ouse produced controversy among critics of the president. Our analysis explores how media discussion involving a C harles A lston bust of Dr. M artin L uther K ing, Jr., and an abstract painting by A lma T homas unearthed cultural tensions involving the practice of imitation, the value of presence, and the role of Black art and artists. Such tensions shaped the debate about the art works chosen by the O bamas and raised the question of how to define and place a Black president in the first year of his first term.