Ecce Homo 2009

Kehinde Wiley’s 2009 oil painting "Ecce Homo" reimagines a classic Christian subject. The title "Ecce Homo" is Latin for "Behold the Man," and it references the moment in the biblical story of Jesus’s passion when he was presented to the crowd before his crucifixion. Here, Wiley reimagines the figure as a young Black man dressed in contemporary clothing, holding a halo above his head. The work is a part of Wiley’s larger body of work that explores themes of race, identity, and representation, inviting viewers to reexamine the role of art in society.