** EXCERPT ** The powerful clay work shows Mrs Obama in the style of an African Queen, wearing large hooped earrings and an "afro pick" comb in her Egyptian-influenced hairstyle. An American flag is tattooed across her naked chest and the comb is decorated with pearls, the traditional garb of a First Lady, and an American Eagle. The work, by controversial sculptor Daniel Edwards, is clearly a nod to both Mrs Obama's ethnic roots and her position at the heart of American culture and politics. As her husband, Barack Obama, battles to win the next US presidential elections, she has...