Amy Sherald Cancels Smithsonian Show, Opens Baltimore Retrospective

Artist Amy Sherald has relocated her mid-career retrospective exhibition, "American Sublime," to the Baltimore Museum of Art after canceling its planned presentation at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery due to censorship concerns. The Smithsonian reportedly hesitated to display Sherald’s painting "Trans Forming Liberty," which depicts the Statue of Liberty as a Black trans woman, fearing political backlash during President Trump's administration. Sherald rejected attempts to contextualize the painting with a video discussing transgender issues, interpreting it as a form of censorship. "American Sublime," featuring about 40 works spanning nearly two decades, previously appeared at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art and will open in Baltimore on November 2, 2025. The Baltimore Museum of Art, where Sherald studied and developed her practice, celebrates her as a cultural force with strong ties to the city and honors her with an "Artist Who Inspires" award at its November gala. The move reflects Sherald’s commitment to preserving the integrity of her work and highlights ongoing tensions between artists and political influences in museum curation.