Artist Cancels Smithsonian Show, Sees Censorship

Amy Sherald—an artist perhaps best known to the public for her portrait of Michelle Obama—has called off a planned solo exhibition at the Smithsonian over censorship concerns, reports NBC News. Sherald says the museum's National Portrait Gallery raised concerns about one of her paintings, called Trans Forming Liberty, that depicts a trans woman holding a torch in the pose of the Statue of Liberty, per the New York Times.

"These concerns led to discussions about removing the work from the exhibition," she said in a statement. "It's clear that institutional fear shaped by a broader climate of political hostility toward trans lives played a role." The Smithsonian, meanwhile, disputed Sherald's account. A spokesperson said the museum wanted to better contextualize the work, not censor it, and that Sherald withdrew her show before those conversations concluded.

Sherald says the museum suggested replacing the painting with a video of people discussing their reactions to the work, but she objected because the video would have amplified anti-trans views. The canceled show, "American Sublime," was organized by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and would have showcased Sherald's work from 2007 onward.