Amy Sherald

Amy Sherald: Biography in Details

Who is Amy Sherald?

Amy Sherald is a professional portrait artist. She rose to fame after she painted a portrait of former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama.

The artist is also known as the first African-American artist to make official presidential portraits at the National Portrait Gallery.

Who are the parents of Amy Sherald?

Amy was born in Columbus, Georgis, U.S., on August 30, 1973. She holds an American nationality and is of African-American descent.

The name of her parents is Amos P. Sherald III and Geraldine W. Sherald. Her father was a dentist by profession who passed away in 2000 from Parkinson’s disease.

Similarly, she had a brother named Michael Sherald who also passed away from lung cancer.

She had an interest in art from an early age but when she went on a school trip to a Columbus Museum she finds out that art wasn’t something in a book nor an encyclopedia, that it was real life.

Then she decided to pursue her career in art as a profession. While her parents had hoped she would pursue her career in medicine.

Education

Talking about her academic background, Sherald attended the St. Anne-Pacelli Catholic School in Columbus. Then she enrolled at Clark Atlanta University but she dropped out from there in her sophomore year and joined Spelman College for a painting class.

Similarly, she graduated with a B.A. degree in painting from Clark Atlanta University in 1997.  Afterward, Sherald studied M.F.A. at the Maryland Institute College of Arts in Baltimore and graduated in 2004.

While attending MICA she learned the dripping method of painting from abstract expressionist painter Grace Hartigan.

Also, she studied art at the Baltimore Center Detention Center.

Amy Sherald: Professional Life, Career

• After graduation, Amy did a private study residency with Norwegian painter Odd Nerdrum and completed residencies in Beijing, China, and Oranjestad, Aruba in 2008.
• In 2011, she made her solo exhibition at the Sonja Haynes Stone Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• Similarly, in the year 2016, she presented a painting of a girl perhaps playing dress-up that was inspired by Alice in Wonderland titled Miss Everything.
• Amy made a big break in her career in 2017 when Michelle Obama selected to paint her official portrait for the National Portrait Gallery.
• Furthermore, she had her solo exhibition at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, Hauser & Wirth gallery in New York City. Her work, Equilibrium had been installed on the wall of the Parkway Theater in Baltimore.
• Lately, she had exhibitions of Promise, Witness, Remembrance, Kentucky, and more.
• Sherald has her studio in Jersey at Mana Contemporary, a former tobacco factory converted into artist spaces.

Awards & Nomination

• In 2016, Sherald won the first prize in Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition for the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C along with a $25,000 award.
• Sherald received the 2018 Davis C. Driskell Prize from the High Museum of Art in Atlanta.

Is Amy Sherald involved in any rumors and controversies?

In 2004, Sherald suffered from a heart disease called cardiomyopathy. However, she had managed the condition but in December 2012, she transplanted her heart at the age of 39.

Moreover, she hasn’t been part of any disputes and controversial acts that hamper her successful career and personal life.

Amy Sherald: Net Worth, Salary

Lately, Sherald sold her painting The Bathers (2015) for $4,265,000 at Phillip’s Evening Sale of 20th Century & Contemporary Art on December 7, 2020.

As of now, the painting has been presale nearly 30 times over in the range of $150,000 to $200,000. Similarly, her first work at auction was sold for $350,000 in May 2019.

However, she hasn’t yet disclosed her exact net worth, yearly income, and real estate to the public.

Body Measurement: Height, Weight

Amy has a decent height and average weight but the exact figures of her body measurement are not available at the moment. Moreover, she has curly brown hair with brown pair of eyes as well.

Social Media

Amy has a verified Instagram account under the username @asherald where he has over 179k followers. However, she is not available on other social media sites including Facebook and Twitter.

Trivia

• As of 2021, Sherald is 47 years old.
• Currently, she resides in New Jersey with her husband.
• Her Sun sign is Virgo.
• She has pet two dogs named George and Weezie.

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Amy Sherald's Birthday Dates