Barack and Michelle Obama returned to the White House for the presentation of their official portraits.
More than five years after Obama completed his second term in the Oval Office, he and his wife were hosted by the man who served as his vice president, Joe Biden.
The portrait of the former commander in chief was painted in a photorealistic style by artist Robert McCurdy.
He is depicted against a white background, in an image reminiscent of McCurdy’s earlier portraits of Toni Morrison and Nelson Mandela.
The former first lady is pictured wearing a blue dress in the Red Room of the White House, in a painting by Brooklyn artist Sharon Sprung.
In some lighthearted remarks, Obama claimed that McCurdy “refused my request to make my ears smaller.”
She also said, “I want to thank Sharon Sprung for capturing everything I love about Michelle: her grace, her intelligence and the fact that she’s fine! Her portrayal is stunning.
“And I want to thank Robert McCurdy for tackling a much more difficult subject and doing a fantastic job with mine.”
Before the ceremony in the East Room, President Biden greeted the couple by saying, “Welcome home.”
He added: “With Barack as our president we got up every day and went to work full of hope.
“Mr. President, nothing could have prepared me better or more to become president of the United States than to be by your side for eight years, and I say this from the bottom of my heart.”
President Biden, former President Obama, Jill Biden and Michelle Obama in the White House
Obama, whose second term in power expired in January 2017, said it was “great to be back” and said that Biden has “led us through difficult times”.
He continued: “When people ask me what I miss most from my years in the White House, it’s not Air Force One I’m talking about.”
The former president added, making people laugh, “even though I miss Air Force One”.
Jill Biden, Joe Biden and Barack Obama
Some of the people who served under him were there, and he said the thing he was missing was “the chance that I should stand shoulder to shoulder with all of you”.
Large formal portraits of US presidents and first ladies adorn walls, corridors and rooms throughout the White House.
Although it is customary for a former president to return for the inauguration, Donald Trump did not hold a ceremony for the Obamas while he was in the leading role.
