Amy Sherald cancels major Smithsonian show over ‘censorship’

Amy Sherald, the celebrated painter best known for her official portrait of Michelle Obama, has canceled an upcoming exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, citing concerns that the museum might remove an artwork that could further provoke the Trump administration as it seeks to exert control over the Smithsonian Institution.

Sherald and a Smithsonian spokesperson on Thursday confirmed that Sherald had withdrawn her exhibition, “American Sublime,” from the museum.

Sherald said she had been told that the museum – whose director, Kim Sajet, resigned after President Trump called for her ouster for being “a highly partisan person” – might remove a painting that depicts a transgender woman posing as the Statue of Liberty from the exhibition, which was slated to open in September after touring at museums in San Francisco and New York.

“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. “These concerns led to discussions about removing the work from the exhibition. 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.”

The New York Times first reported news of Sherald’s withdrawal. According to that report, Sherald said Smithsonian head Lonnie G. Bunch III proposed replacing the painting with a video discussing the piece, which she understood “would have opened up for debate the value of trans visibility.”

But the Smithsonian spokesperson told The Washington Post that Bunch wanted the video to accompany the painting – not replace it. The spokesperson added that the museum offered to spend more time contextualizing her work, but Sherald chose to remove herself from the show.

“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’s statement read. “The Smithsonian strives to foster a greater and shared understanding. 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.”

Sherald’s statement added that the portrait “exists to hold space for someone whose humanity has been politicized and disregarded. I cannot in good conscience comply with a culture of censorship, especially when it targets vulnerable communities.

“At a time when transgender people are being legislated against, silenced, and endangered across our nation, silence is not an option. 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.”

The cancellation is the most prominent example of the Trump administration’s effects on the Smithsonian since the resignation of the National Portrait Gallery’s director. Though Trump posted in late May that he was firing Sajet, he lacked the authority to do so, as director-level personnel decisions are made by Bunch. Sajet continued to report to work for two weeks until announcing her departure, explaining to staff that she was leaving because her presence had become a distraction from the Smithsonian’s mission.

Sajet’s ouster followed an executive order Trump issued March 27 titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” which aims to “restore the Smithsonian Institution to its rightful place as a symbol of inspiration and American greatness.” A 35-year-old White House special assistant and senior associate staff secretary, Lindsey Halligan, was among the order’s architects – instigated, in part, by her early-2025 visit to the show “The Shape of Power: Stories of Race and American Sculpture,” an exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, which shares a building with the Portrait Gallery.

The order calls for Halligan and Vice President JD Vance to “remove improper ideology” from the Smithsonian and “prohibit expenditure on exhibits or programs that degrade shared American values, divide Americans based on race.”

Sherald, who has been called “one of our greatest living portraitists,” rose to prominence when she won first prize in the National Portrait Gallery’s 2016 Outwin Boochever competition for her portrait “Miss Everything (Unsuppressed Deliverance).” The following year, she was selected to paint the official portrait of Michelle Obama along with Kehinde Wiley, who painted former president Obama. The paintings became a sensation, touring the country. A photograph of an awestruck 2-year-old girl gazing at Sherald’s painting went viral, and later became a children’s book.

“American Sublime” was warmly reviewed by critics during its recent stints at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. “Sherald’s brilliance comes down to the subtlety and splendor with which she choreographs the push and pull of color relations,” Post critic Sebastian Smee wrote.

The exhibition includes the portrait of Obama, as well as a portrait of Breonna Taylor, the 26-year-old woman killed by Louisville, Kentucky, police after they forced entry into her home, inspiring countrywide protests about police brutality in 2020. Sherald would have been the first contemporary Black artist to receive a solo exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery.