Portrait of Obama?

[Jackeens]

Portrait may be of young POTUS

By CARRIE BUDOFF BROWN

So this is a funny little Obama-related mystery out of Los Angeles. A California couple, Megan McCluer and Michael Heffner, bought a portrait last fall of a young man who bears a striking resemblance to the president in his early 20s. “Scrawled on the back is a notation that says: ‘BARACK OBAMA (casual attire).’ Strokes of teal and burgundy provide a vibrant contrast to Obama's even more colorful striped shirt, evoking a late '70s disco vibe,” the Los Angeles Times reports.

If painted while Obama was a student for two years at Occidental College in Los Angeles, the portrait would be “truly rare -- a fine-art rendition of the future president before he was famous,” the paper reported. The portrait moved from an anonymous art collector to a retired teacher (who tried to donate the portrait to Obama’s national campaign but got no response) to the Ojai, Calif., campaign office to Heffner and McCluer, who just “had to have it.”

McCluer, who splits her time between California and Washington, works at the Energy Department, where she hopes it can be displayed. Maybe Obama will stop by to solve the mystery.


http://www.politico.com/politico44/

[Clio the Leo]

1. I'm going with "yes."

If that's not Barack .... it's his twin (who I hope is also a democrat.)

[goclark]

2. I vote yes too ~ I wonder if they asked Obama

There are pictures on the web of Obama in black and white during that time period.

In one of those pictures he looked like he had a wish to be a male model.

He sure could have been and still could be - especially when he steps out of that SUV with sun glasses!

This Senior young lady goclark goes crazy for that photo!

:bounce:

[rvablue]

3. It needs to be authenticated first. There doesn't seem to be any notation of when it was

first "discovered" and when all of these sales/handoffs were made.

Someone could have painted it after he got on to the national stage.

If it is "authentic" circa the 80s (hence why I question it a bit) then that would be a very, very cool find!