Artist Amy Sherald cancels National Portrait Gallery show over 'censorship' of transgender painting

Artist Amy Sherald has canceled her show at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery over what she called "censorship" of her transgender painting of the Statue of Liberty.

Sherald, who became known for her 2018 portrait of former first lady Michelle Obama, was set to have her solo show of “American Sublime,” which included about 50 of her works, at the museum in September, The according to The New York Times.

However, she said in a statement that she had been “informed that internal concerns had been raised” at the gallery regarding the inclusion of her painting, “Trans Forming Liberty,” which features a transgender woman holding a torch with flowers in it in a posture similar to the Statue of Liberty.

“These concerns led to discussions about removing the work from the exhibition,” Sherald's statement said. “It’s clear that institutional fear shaped by a broader climate of political hostility toward trans lives played a role.”

“I cannot in good conscience comply with a culture of censorship, especially when it targets vulnerable communities,” she added. “At a time when transgender people are being legislated against, silenced, and endangered across our nation, silence is not an option.”

Sherald said that Lonnie G. Bunch III, the secretary of the Smithsonian, proposed to her on Monday that a video replace the painting, and that it would show people reacting to the painting and discussing transgender issues. She rejected the idea because she said it would have included anti-trans views.

The Smithsonian says the video was to accompany the painting as a way to "contextualize the piece" and "not to replace" it.

“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 institution said.

Sherald's show, now at the Whitney Museum in New York City, also includes a portrait of Breonna Taylor, who was crucial to the Black Lives Matter protests, and a work called “For Love, and For Country,” which features two men embracing in the posture of Alfred Eisenstaedt's photo of a sailor kissing a female nurse on V-J Day in Times Square.

Lindsey Halligan, a special assistant to President Trump who has been working on his efforts to transform the Smithsonian, said in a statement that the “removal of this exhibit is a principled and necessary step” toward restoring what it sees as the proper role of institutions like the Smithsonian.

“The ‘Trans Forming Liberty’ painting, which sought to reinterpret one of our nation’s most sacred symbols through a divisive and ideological lens, fundamentally strayed from the mission and spirit of our national museums,” she said. “The Statue of Liberty is not an abstract canvas for political expression — it is a revered and solemn symbol of freedom, inspiration, and national unity that defines the American spirit.”

Sherald wrote in a letter to Bunch on Wednesday, “I entered into this collaboration in good faith, believing that the institution shared a commitment to presenting work that reflects the full, complex truth of American life. Unfortunately, it has become clear that the conditions no longer support the integrity of the work as conceived.’’