Overview

• The New Yorker’s August 11 issue features Sherald’s “Trans Forming Liberty,” a portrait of trans model and performance artist Arewà Basit as the Statue of Liberty.
• Sherald withdrew the planned National Portrait Gallery segment of her American Sublime survey in late July after learning officials had discussed removing the work.
• A Smithsonian spokesperson said the institution aimed to contextualize rather than replace the painting, while the White House labeled it a divisive reinterpretation of a national symbol.
• Sherald’s American Sublime exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art continues through August 10 and includes her notable grayscale portraits of figures such as Michelle Obama.
• The incident has reignited discussion over Smithsonian’s curatorial freedom following a Trump administration executive order targeting allegedly “divisive” museum content.