Muse: Barack Obama's former pastor Jeremiah Wright once referenced this 1885 painting as a symbol of 'the audacity to hope.' Tate, London/Art resource
A painting called 'Hope' wins fans as Barack Obama's inspiration
A London museum attracts tourists with the artwork that inspired the famous phrase, 'audacity of hope.'
By Ben Quinn
from the November 28, 2008 edition
It's a bit off the beaten tourist track, and anyone looking for it may find a street map useful.
Yet in the past two weeks, this cozy little art gallery nestled in central London has attracted a growing trickle of visitors in search – literally – of hope.
In this case it takes the form of a painting which may have helped inspire Barack Obama.
Entitled "Hope," the canvas hanging inside London's Guildhall Art Gallery as part of an exhibition by Victorian painter George Frederic Watts might appear unremarkable to some.
snip...
As an admirer of Watts, the US president-elect will have ample opportunities to admire the latter, which the Englishman gave to the American people.
Where was it eventually installed on the orders of Theodore Roosevelt?
The White House.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1128/p04s02-woeu.html