Artist Amy Sherald cancels Smithsonian exhibition over trans portrait controversy
Amy Sherald cancelled the exhibit over concerns regarding her trans portrait. (Getty)
Amy Sherald cancelled the exhibit over concerns regarding her trans portrait. (Getty)
American painter Amy Sherald has cancelled an upcoming show at the Smithsonian after accusing the institution of censoring a painting of a trans model dressed as the Statue of Liberty.
The 51-year-old artist withdrew her upcoming exhibition, American Sublime, after she said officials at the Washington DC portrait gallery expressed concerns over one of her portraits.
Titled “Trans Forming Liberty,” the painting depicts a trans woman dressed as the Statue of Liberty in New York. Sherald shared the artwork in an Instagram post in November, writing to the community: “Thank you for being you.”
She alleged that the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery’s officials had discussed the possibility of “removing the work from the exhibition” over concerns it may be politically divisive.
“While no single person is to blame, it’s clear that institutional fear shaped by a broader climate of political hostility toward trans lives played a role,” she said. “This painting exists to hold space for someone whose humanity has been politicised and disregarded.”
She said in a statement reported by The New York Times that she could not “in good conscience” permit her exhibition to continue, saying she refused to “comply with a culture of censorship, especially when it targets vulnerable communities.”
The artist, known for her simplified realism portraits, first gained prominence in 2018 after painting the former first lady, Michelle Obama.
Using her artwork as a means of activism for marginalised communities, Sherald said she believed “silence is not an option” at a time when the trans community is being “legislated against, silenced, and endangered” in the US.
“I stand by my sisters. I stand by the truth that all people deserve to be seen – not only in life, but in art,” she said.
A spokesperson for the Smithsonian Institution, which oversees the gallery and several cultural venues across Washington DC, claimed officials had tried to address the issue, but that Sherald had withdrawn from the exhibition before that could be done.
“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,” they continued.
