Painter Amy Sherald has canceled her upcoming solo exhibition, titled “American Sublime,” at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery after the museum considered removing her painting of a Black transgender Statue of Liberty, The New York Times reported today. The show was slated to open in September.
“I entered into this collaboration in good faith, believing that the institution shared a commitment to presenting work that reflects the full, complex truth of American life,” the artist wrote to Lonnie G. Bunch III, the secretary of the Smithsonian, who runs the Portrait Gallery. “Unfortunately, it has become clear that the conditions no longer support the integrity of the work as conceived.’’
Sherald clarified in a statement that she was “informed that internal concerns had been raised” about the inclusion of her painting, Trans Forming Liberty (2024), at the Portrait Gallery. The work is of a Black trans woman carrying a torch in the familiar stance of the Statue of Liberty.
“These concerns led to discussions about removing the work from the exhibition,” she continued in the statement. “It’s clear that institutional fear shaped by a broader climate of political hostility toward trans lives played a role.”
According to the artist, Bunch on Monday proposed replacing the painting with a video of reactions and a discussion of trans concerns. Sherald objected over concerns that the video would include anti-trans views.
“When I understood a video would replace the painting, I decided to cancel,” Sherald explained. “The video would have opened up for debate the value of trans visibility and I was opposed to that being a part of the ‘American Sublime’ narrative.”
The Smithsonian said in a statement, “While we understand Amy’s decision to withdraw her show from the National Portrait Gallery, we are disappointed that Smithsonian audiences will not have an opportunity to experience ‘American Sublime.’
“The Smithsonian strives to foster a greater and shared understanding,” the statement continued, “By presenting and contextualizing art, the Smithsonian aims to inspire, challenge and impact audiences in meaningful and thoughtful ways. Unfortunately, we could not come to an agreement with the artist. We remain appreciative and inspired by Ms. Sherald, her artwork and commitment to portraiture.”
The Smithsonian Institution’s exhibitions are currently under review by the White House, which claims its shows have skewed too far from “the greatness of our nation or the millions of Americans who have contributed to its progress.”
The Smithsonian receives about two-thirds of its $1 billion annual budget from the federal government. It is not, however, a federal entity. The museum consortium is overseen by a Board of Regents, as stipulated by Congress upon its founding in 1846. The current board includes the Vice President, the Chief Justice of the United States, six members of Congress, and nine citizen regents.
While the Smithsonian previously affirmed its independence from curatorial interference from the White House, it programming has come under direct scrutiny from this administration. In January, the Smithsonian announced the end of its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, as well as a hiring freeze for all federal positions. In March, a new executive order instructed the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents to eliminate “improper, divisive or anti-American ideology” within its museums. In May, National Portrait Gallery director Kim Sajet resigned after Trump said he fired her for supporting DEI.
For her part, Sherald became a household name in 2018 thanks to her portrait of Michelle Obama. Today, she is best known for her pensive pastel renderings of Black Americans imbued with melancholy and joy, and underpinned by issues of the political realities of American life. An especially lauded canvas, for instance, is a portrait of Breonna Taylor, whose killing in an ill-executed police raid helped fuel the national protests against police violence and anti-Black racism in 2020. The portrait is co-owned by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC, and the Speed Museum in Louisville, Kentucky.
“American Sublime” features some 50 works by Sherald, making it one of the largest and most comprehensive presentations of her work yet. The show was originally organized by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and subsequently traveled to the Whitney Museum, where it is on view through August 10. The iteration set for the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery would have marked the first solo presentation of its kind by a Black contemporary artist at the institution.
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