Amy Sherald takes canceled Smithsonian show to Baltimore Museum of Art
S. E. Anderson
Amy Sherald takes canceled Smithsonian show to Baltimore Museum of Art
The acclaimed painter had withdrawn her exhibition “American Sublime” from the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, citing potential censorship of one of her works.
Amy Sherald, the celebrated painter who abruptly pulled her planned exhibition “American Sublime” from the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in July over censorship concerns, is bringing the show to the Baltimore Museum of Art in November.
“Presenting American Sublime at the BMA is a celebration of our creative community and a joyful reunion with those shaped by Amy’s extraordinary power to connect,” Asma Naeem, the museum’s director, said in a press release. “We’re thrilled to share her transformational work with our visitors.”
“American Sublime,” which explores Black American life with large-scale portraits that include acclaimed depictions of Michelle Obama and Breonna Taylor, will open at the BMA on Nov. 2 and remain on view through April 5, 2026.
Sherald withdrew “American Sublime” from the National Portrait Gallery, where it was scheduled to open in September, because she said the museum considered excluding from the exhibition “Trans Forming Liberty,” a painting that depicts a transgender woman posing as the Statue of Liberty.
“I was informed by the National Portrait Gallery that concerns had been raised internally about the museum’s inclusion” of the portrait, Sherald said in a statement July 24.
“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,” she said.
According to the New York Times, 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 a 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.
The National Portrait Gallery show, a next stop for “American Sublime” after touring in San Francisco and New York, was originally scheduled to run into February. Sherald would have been the first contemporary Black artist to receive a solo exhibition at the museum.
Sherald, who attended the Maryland Institute College of Art, spent much of her career in Baltimore, and her work had previously been acquired by the BMA, where she once served as a board member.
In recent years, the museum has made headlines for bold efforts to diversify its programming and collection. In 2020, Sherald and fellow artist Adam Pendleton resigned from the board amid a controversy over the museum’s plan to sell three major artworks to fund such efforts. (The sale was called off just before auction.)
Sherald’s withdrawal from the Smithsonian is among the most prominent examples of the trump administration’s effects on the institution since the resignation of the National Portrait Gallery’s director, Kim Sajet.
More recently, President donald trump has increased his pressure on museums, outlining a list of Smithsonian exhibitions and materials he considers “woke” or anti-American, and announcing a sweeping White House review of exhibits and materials ahead of America’s 250th-birthday celebrations next year. ///
s. e. anderson
author of The Black Holocaust for Beginners
www.blackeducator.org
"If WORK was good for you, the rich would leave none for the poor." (Haiti)
--------------------------------------------