Kehinde Wiley Studio

What Kehinde Wiley Studio does

Kehinde Wiley Studio is a private New York-based visual art practice operating under the legal name Kehinde Wiley Studio (also styled KW STUDIO) and led by artist Kehinde Wiley (b. 1977, Los Angeles). The studio produces figurative paintings, monumental bronze sculpture, hand-painted stained glass installations, and multi-channel video works that apply the visual vocabulary of Old Master portraiture — Reynolds, Gainsborough, Titian, Ingres — to contemporary Black and Brown subjects drawn from urban environments worldwide. The practice's signature works include 'The World Stage' series (models from Mumbai, Dakar, Rio de Janeiro, and other cities), 'An Economy of Grace,' 'An Archaeology of Silence,' and large-scale public commissions such as 'Rumors of War' (2019) and the Moynihan Train Hall stained glass triptych 'Go' (2020). In 2018 Wiley became the first African-American artist to paint an official U.S. Presidential portrait for the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.

The studio monetizes through a diversified mix of revenue streams: (1) primary-market sales of original paintings and sculptures through four blue-chip galleries — Roberts Projects (Los Angeles), Sean Kelly (New York), Galerie Daniel Templon (Paris), and Stephen Friedman Gallery (London); (2) museum commissions and institutional exhibitions; (3) limited-edition archival prints, including benefit prints supporting CinE Institute Haiti and Black Rock Senegal; (4) the Kehinde Wiley Shop e-commerce platform (launched 2020) selling apparel and merchandise with proceeds underwriting Black Rock Senegal; (5) brand partnerships and licensing deals with PUMA (2010), Grey Goose (2014), American Express (2022), and MTV (2021 Moonperson); and (6) Black Rock Senegal, the multidisciplinary artist-in-residence program Wiley founded in Dakar in 2019. The studio maintains working bases in New York, Beijing, and Dakar, with works held in over 50 public institutions worldwide.

Distribution is event-driven and institution-led: marketing runs through gallery exhibitions, museum shows, and earned media in publications such as the New York Times, Vogue, Financial Times, and the Guardian, supplemented by organic social on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Customer segments include museums and cultural institutions, high-net-worth private collectors, corporate brand partners, and a long-tail consumer base reached via the D2C shop. As a private individual-artist practice with 1–10 employees and no outside investors, the studio's financial profile is not publicly disclosed and there is no parent company, subsidiaries, or external ownership structure.

Name

Kehinde Wiley Studio

Legal name

Kehinde Wiley Studio

Website

https://kehindewiley.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kehinde Wiley Studio is a New York-based visual art practice producing figurative paintings, sculptures, and stained glass that reframe Old Master portraiture with contemporary Black and Brown subjects. Revenue derives from gallery sales, museum commissions, brand partnerships, and the Kehinde Wiley Shop e-commerce platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Original Art Sales: Sale of original paintings and sculptures through gallery representation. Works sold through Roberts Projects (Los Angeles), Sean Kelly Gallery (New York), Galerie Templon (Paris), and Stephen Friedman Gallery (London).
2. Limited Edition Prints: Sale of limited-edition archival prints including benefit prints supporting charitable causes like CinE Institute Haiti and Black Rock Senegal.
3. Merchandise and Apparel: Kehinde Wiley Shop launched in 2020 as partnership between Kehinde Wiley and Black Rock Senegal, creating limited-edition apparel and merchandise featuring compositions from the artist's archive.
4. Museum Commissions: Commissions for public art installations including Moynihan Train Hall stained glass (Go, 2020) and Rumors of War bronze sculpture (2019).
5. Brand Partnerships: Collaborations with brands including PUMA (2010 Africa collection), Grey Goose (2014 Le Melon campaign), and American Express (Platinum Card design), creating custom portraits and artwork for marketing campaigns.
6. Black Rock Senegal: Non-profit artist-in-residence program in Dakar, Senegal founded in 2019. Revenue supports the program through benefit prints and merchandise sales.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Kehinde Wiley Studio is the professional practice of artist Kehinde Wiley, producing and selling original figurative paintings, sculptures, video installations, stained glass works, and limited-edition prints that reinterpret classical portraiture through Black subjects. The studio also offers ancillary consumer products (posters, totes, t-shirts) tied to its visual brand.

Product overview

Kehinde Wiley Studio is a visual art practice offering original paintings, sculptures, and limited-edition merchandise through galleries and an e-commerce shop. The core offering consists of portrait paintings and exhibitions that reframe art historical conventions by representing Black and Brown individuals in the heroic visual vocabulary of Old Master painting. The studio operates through representation by major galleries (Roberts Projects, Sean Kelly, Galerie Templon, Stephen Friedman Gallery) and offers a consumer merchandise line through the Kehinde Wiley Shop. The Black Rock Senegal artist-in-residence program, founded in 2019, extends the studio's mission globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Original Figurative Paintings Original large-scale oil paintings reinterpreting European portrait traditions with contemporary Black subjects, sold through galleries, museums, and private commissions to collectors and institutions.
• Sculptures and Stained Glass Works Sculptural works and stained glass installations presented in gallery and museum exhibitions, sold to or commissioned by private collectors and institutions.
• Limited Edition Prints Signed, numbered limited-edition prints of the artist's compositions sold directly to individual collectors and art buyers.
• Video Installations Video-based installations produced for exhibition and presentation in gallery/museum settings.
• Branded Merchandise (T-shirts, Totes, Posters) Consumer apparel and accessories featuring the artist's iconography, sold directly to the public through the studio's online store.

Quantifiable outcome

• First African-American artist to paint an official U.S. Presidential portrait for Smithsonian
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• American ExpressminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022Wiley collaborated with Julie Mehretu to design American Express's new Platinum Cards, bringing his artistic vision to financial services branding.
• MTVminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2021Designed special edition Moonperson sculpture for MTV awards, featuring iridescent facade with green vines and pink florals. First Black American artist to design the iconic MTV Moon Man.
• Empire State Development / Public Art FundcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Commissioned to create hand-painted glass triptych 'Go' for Moynihan Train Hall, celebrating bodies in motion at monumental scale. Draws on classical European fresco tradition with breakdance poses.
• Roberts ProjectscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019Primary gallery representation in Los Angeles (5801 Washington Boulevard, Culver City, CA 90232). Handles sale and exhibition of Wiley's works on the West Coast.
• Black Rock SenegalcoreOthers · 1 January 2019Founded by Wiley in Dakar, Senegal in 2019. Multidisciplinary artist-in-residence program inviting artists from around the world to live and create work. Supported by benefit prints and Kehinde Wiley Shop merchandise sales.
• Grey Goose VodkaminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2014Partnership with Grey Goose to celebrate 'modern kings of culture' for the launch of Le Melon flavor. Created custom portraits honoring Spike Lee, Swizz Beatz, and Carmelo Anthony. Portraits auctioned at Art Basel Miami with proceeds to charities of choice.
• Ciné Institute HaitiminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Benefit print 'The Sisters Zénaïde and Charlotte Bonaparte (The World Stage: Haiti)' sold with 100% of proceeds supporting Ciné Institute, Haiti's only film school located in Jacmel.
• Art Production FundminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Second consecutive year of collaboration bringing public art to NYC. 500 taxi tops displayed Wiley's artwork as part of 'Art Adds 2011' citywide public art campaign, transforming commercial advertising platform into cultural exhibit.
• PUMAminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2009PUMA partnered with Kehinde Wiley for the Spring Summer 2010 PUMA Africa lifestyle collection of apparel, footwear and accessories. The collection used seven graphic patterns from Wiley's existing work integrated throughout bright, bold, color-blocking patterns as part of PUMA's Africa-themed campaign ahead of World Cup 2010.
• Sean Kelly GallerycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGallery representation in New York (475 Tenth Avenue, New York NY 10018). Major venue for exhibitions and sales in the Eastern United States.
• Galerie Daniel TemploncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGallery representation in Paris (30 rue Beaubourg, 75003 Paris, France). European representation and exhibition venue.
• Stephen Friedman GallerycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGallery representation in London (25-28 Old Burlington St, London W1S 3AN, United Kingdom). UK representation for exhibitions and sales.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mark Bradford: Major contemporary artist working across painting, sculpture, and installation with a focus on race, class, and urban experience. Comparable gallery representation (Hauser & Wirth) and major-museum exhibition footprint.
• Titus Kaphar: Painter and sculptor whose work interrogates the history of Western painting and the representation of Black subjects. Comparable practice spanning painting, sculpture, and institutional exhibitions at major U.S. museums.
• Toyin Ojih Odutola: Figurative artist exploring identity and Black experience through large-scale drawing and painting. Comparable gallery representation (Hosfelt/Herald St, Jack Shainman) and major institutional exhibition circuit.
• Mickalene Thomas: Contemporary artist working in portraiture, painting, photography, and installation, with a focus on Black female subjects. Comparable gallery representation model and major-museum exhibition history.
• Glenn Ligon: Contemporary artist whose practice engages Black identity, American history, and the conventions of Western painting. Comparable institutional standing and inclusion in major museum collections alongside Wiley.
• Kerry James Marshall: Highly regarded figurative painter exploring the Black American experience and the traditions of Western painting. Comparable market position, gallery representation model, and museum-collection footprint to Wiley.
• Amy Sherald: Contemporary figurative portraitist best known for painting Michelle Obama's official White House portrait. Direct stylistic and thematic peer to Wiley in reframing classical American portraiture with Black subjects at the highest institutional level.

Broad incumbents

• Yayoi Kusama Studio: Single-artist studio operating at the apex of the contemporary market with a diversified practice across painting, sculpture, and large-scale commercial merchandise. A relevant comparable for the studio-as-enterprise model Wiley is building.
• Jeff Koons Studio: Single-artist studio combining high-end original production with major brand licensing and merchandise partnerships. Comparable operating model for scaling an artist's brand across original work and commercial collaborations.

Emerging players

• Firelei Báez: Contemporary artist working in painting and installation, exploring Caribbean and African-diaspora histories. A rising peer in the same thematic lane, currently scaling through major gallery and museum representation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kehindewileyart
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• Instagraminstagram.com/kehindewiley
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kehinde-wiley-studio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kehinde Wiley Studio