Kehinde Wiley may be the most successful painter to come along in decades. His magnetic portraits of black and brown young men, painted with the precision of realism and wreathed in flowers, ornamental iconography and classical backdrops, have gained him notoriety in the art world and major props from museum-goers who enjoy his strikingly visual shows.

Now, you can check out his work in person with Wiley's first San Francisco exhibit. The show opened at the Contemporary Jewish Museum last month, and features works from his collection The World Stage, which explores the urban youth of today's black diaspora from around the world. Specifically on display are portraits from 2010 of subjects scouted from malls, bars, and sporting venues in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Lod, which represent Israeli Jews, Ethiopian Jews, and Israeli Arabs.

Curator Karen Tsujimoto:

Wiley presents a kaleidoscopic picture of contemporary Israeli diversity, a society at the physical and symbolic intersection of Africa, Europe, and Asia, struggling with deep political issues while still functioning as a global center for cultural interchange. As Wiley’s paintings reveal, Israel—a country smaller than New Jersey—is more ethnically diverse and globally attuned than most people realize. It is home to Jews from Arab lands who fled Muslim countries, Ethiopian Jews with dreadlocks, and a gay community with a distinctive international voice. “I wanted to mine where the world is right now,” Wiley explains, “and chart the presence of black and brown people throughout the world.”

Kehinde WIley at the Contemporary Jewish Museum, on view until May 27
736 Mission St., S.F, (415) 655-7800