The artist pulls her exhibition after pressure to remove a portrait of a transgender woman, fearing backlash from the Trump administration.
Sherald withdraws American Sublime from the National Portrait Gallery
Amy Sherald has officially pulled her upcoming solo exhibition, American Sublime, from the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. The move comes after internal conversations around removing her 2024 painting Trans Forming Liberty, which features a transgender woman holding a torch in the style of the Statue of Liberty. The decision to withdraw was in response to the museum’s concerns that the piece might provoke President Trump, who has increased scrutiny on federally funded cultural institutions.
The painting sparked debate inside the museum
Smithsonian officials reportedly offered an alternative: replace the painting with a video showing visitors discussing the work and broader trans issues. Sherald declined, stating that such a substitution would undermine the intent of the portrait and open the topic up for debate. In a letter to Smithsonian secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III, she explained that the current conditions no longer support the integrity of the work. She described a growing culture of censorship and institutional fear, especially around content representing marginalized communities.
The show was set to be a historic first
American Sublime would have marked the National Portrait Gallery’s first solo show by a contemporary Black artist. The exhibition followed celebrated runs at the Whitney Museum and SFMOMA, and was meant to highlight the richness of Black American life through Sherald’s signature portrait style. She confirmed the cancellation on Instagram and told the New York Times, “At a time when transgender people are being legislated against, silenced and endangered across our nation, silence is not an option.”
