Posted on December 28, 2020 in News.
Michelle Obama gave Barack Obama a Valentino Dixon original for Christmas
A golf-themed painting, gifted to Barack Obama by his wife Michelle at Christmas, carries with it one of the most unique stories of recent years.
According to a report from Golf Digest, Barack Obama received a hand-drawn rendering by Valentino Dixon of hole number 12 at Augusta National.
Dixon served 27 years of a life sentence for a murder he did not commit, but was exonerated in 2018. The Golf Digest report played a major role in Dixon's release.
Dixon's story was recently featured on HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, which is celebrating its 25th season. Michelle Obama reportedly saw the report and was so moved that she purchased an iconic Dixon original from the hole.
After his release in 2018, Dixon admitted that the many golf paintings he created during his incarceration helped him hold on. Interestingly, the painting that will now reside with the Obamas was Dixon's first work as a free man. Golf Digest reports that this is a 50 x 76 cm colored pencil work on mat board entitled "Augusta The Beautiful".