Artist Kehinde Wiley grew up in the 1980s in South Central Los Angeles and was sent to art school by his mom as a 10-year-old.
His African-American background blended with his early appreciation of traditional portraits by the likes of Thomas Gainsborough, best known for "The Blue Boy." That in turn has led to his combining classic motifs and colors and patterns with models who are people of color, something Wiley didn’t see in museums as a young man.
The Phoenix Art Museum is currently presenting a Wiley exhibition called "A New Republic." Wiley discusses his work.
