• The Obamas revealed their official portraits in the East Room of the White House on Wednesday.
• The portraits were painted by Robert McCurdy and Sharon Sprung.
• The ceremony was hosted by President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden.

Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama made their long-awaited return to the White House on Wednesday to finally unveil their official portraits in a lighthearted ceremony.

The ceremony was hosted by President Joe Biden, who served as Obama's vice president for eight years, and first lady Jill Biden in the East Room of the White House. Traditionally, official portrait unveilings are held by the president's immediate successor, but former President Donald Trump didn't host an unveiling ceremony for the Obamas. The Bidens both spoke highly of the Obamas and reminisced about how close their families grew during Obama's tenure as president.

"In countless hours, over countless meetings, under intense pressure, we always knew, Barack Obama, we always knew what you'd do, what you thought was right, even if it was gonna cost you politically," Biden said. "We trusted him, all of you in this room. We believed in him. And we counted on him. And I still do."

Biden continued, "That's why the country elected you twice. That's why you'll be one of the most consequential presidents in our history."

44th President of the United States, Barack Obama

Obama's remarks were filled with memories of Air Force One, which he said he misses, and praise for members of his family, former White House staff, and the Biden family.

"Joe, it is now America's good fortune to have you as president," Obama said prompting a standing ovation. "You have guided us through some perilous times. You have built on and gone beyond the work we all did together ... thanks to your decency and thanks to your strength, maybe most of all thanks to your faith in our democracy and the American people, the country is better off than when you took office."

The former president joked that it's "a little shocking" to see some of his staff who were "kids" when they served him as adults running the show today. He joked that he was disappointed no one has named their child after him yet, but added there's still time.

His wife's portrait, the former president said, captured everything he loves about her: "her grace, her intelligence, and the fact that she is fine. She is."

Obama thanked his artist, Robert McCurdy, for taking on a "much more difficult subject." He said McCurdy paints people exactly as they are and refused Obama's requests to make his ears smaller, painted on every gray hair, and talked him out of wearing a tan suit.

McCurdy told the White House 1600 podcast in an exclusive interview that the former president was "very present and easy to work with." McCurdy's painting nearly resembles a photograph, a style he originated through photography. He said he gave the president his usual spiel when prepping for the painting.

"This is the speech everybody gets when they sit for me – look directly in the lens. Don't smile or gesture. And just hold into that moment," McCurdy said in the podcast episode. "We're looking for a more meditative or transcendent moment." 

First Lady Michelle Obama

The former first lady's portrait was painted by artist Sharon Sprung, one of few women in history commissioned to paint an official White House portrait. 

"I felt this trust come from her, that you do your thing, I do my thing. I'm going to trust you with your thing. And I think portraiture works better sometimes like that," Sprung said of the former first lady on the White House 1600 podcast.

In her remarks, Obama said that this ceremony was not just about their visit or the "beautiful" portraits.

"What we're looking at today, a portrait of a biracial kid with an unusual name and the daughter of a water pump operator and a stay-at-home mom; what we are seeing is a reminder that there is a place for everyone in this country," the former first lady said. "Because, as Barack said, if the two of us can end up on the walls of the most famous address in the world then, again, it is so important for every young kid who is doubting themselves to believe that they can to."

The ceremony was followed by a reception at the White House. The Obama portraits will hang alongside those of the presidents and first ladies who came before them.