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19h ago

Amy Sherald Pulls Smithsonian Show Over Censorship Fears

She said she withdrew after Smithsonian leaders proposed replacing her Black trans Statue of Liberty painting with a video to avoid political backlash.

Amy Sherald, Trans Forming Liberty, 2024. Oil on linen, 123 × 76 1/2 × 2 1/2in. (312.4 × 194.3 × 6.35 cm).
“Trans Forming Liberty,” along with some 50 works in total, is currently on view at the Whitney.
Image

Overview

  • On July 24, Sherald withdrew her September “American Sublime” retrospective from the National Portrait Gallery after learning the institution was weighing removal of her transgender-themed work.
  • Her 2024 painting “Trans Forming Liberty,” which depicts a Black transgender woman as the Statue of Liberty, was among the final pieces under review.
  • Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III and other officials reportedly suggested swapping the painting for a visitor reactions video to contextualize transgender issues.
  • The cancellation halted plans for the gallery’s first solo exhibition by a Black contemporary artist, which featured nearly 50 paintings and works on paper.
  • Sherald linked her decision to a broader climate of political hostility toward trans lives shaped by President Trump’s March executive order on federally funded museum programming.