Amy Sherald has withdrawn her solo show “American Sublime” from the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery after being told that it was considering removing one of her paintings. The painting, Trans Forming Liberty, features a transgender Statue of Liberty, which had apparently prompted concern about provoking President Donald Trump.
“American Sublime” opened at the Whitney in New York in April and was originally set to travel to the Smithsonian in September. “I was informed by the National Portrait Gallery that concerns had been raised internally about the museum’s inclusion of a portrait of a trans woman titled Trans Forming Liberty,” Sherald said in a statement to the Cut, confirming her decision to call off the Smithsonian show. “These concerns led to discussions about removing the work from the exhibition.” According to the New York Times, Sherald said that Lonnie G. Bunch III, the secretary of the Smithsonian, suggested she replace Trans Forming Liberty with a video of people reacting to the painting and discussing transgender issues, but Sherald rejected the idea because the reactions would have included anti-trans rhetoric. She then decided to cancel the show altogether.
Since Trump took office, he’s dedicated ample time and energy to mandating essentialist definitions of gender and attacking access to gender-affirming care for trans youth. Meanwhile, he also took aim at cultural institutions, attempting to enforce anti-trans guidelines for agencies like the National Endowment for the Arts and prohibiting federal grants toward projects that promote “gender ideology.” In March, he issued an executive order specifically describing the Smithsonian as a “widespread effort to rewrite our nation’s history” that was under the influence of “divisive, race-centered ideology.” In a statement to the Times on Thursday, Lindsey Halligan, the special assistant to the president, used similar language, describing Sherald’s painting as “divisive and ideological.”
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In her statement, Sherald said she found it “clear that institutional fear shaped by a broader climate of political hostility toward trans lives played a role” in the gallery’s concern. “At a time when transgender people are being legislated against, silenced, and endangered across our nation, silence is not an option,” she added. “I stand by my work. I stand by my sitters. I stand by the truth that all people deserve to be seen — not only in life, but in art.”
In a statement to the Cut, a spokesperson for the Smithsonian said, “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.” The spokesperson also said that, contrary to the Times’ reporting, the video was proposed to “accompany the painting as a way to contextualize the piece,” not to replace it.
Sherald, who’s known for her grayscale portraits of women like Michelle Obama and Breonna Taylor, would have been the first Black contemporary artist to show at the Portrait Gallery. Her show, which includes almost 50 paintings spanning from 2007 to present, can be viewed at the Whitney through August 10.
