Amy Sherald cancels Smithsonian exhibition

Exclusive: Artist Amy Sherald JD Vance Fox News Digital learned that concerns raised include Wake and split content.

president Donald Trump An executive order was signed in March that oversees the removal of programs or exhibitions by the Smithsonian Museums, “degrading American values, distributing Americans based on race, or promoting programs or ideologies that are inconsistent with federal laws and policies.”

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“Vice President Vance has been working to eliminate the Walker indoctrination of our beloved Smithsonian Museum,” a administration official said in an email to Fox News’ digital numbers. “In addition to passing a large beauty bill in the Senate and helping President Trump cope with the international crisis, the vice president demonstrates his ability to get President Trump priorities throughout the finish line.”

Sherald was announced in 2018, known for the official portrait of the former First Lady Michelle Obama, who announced Thursday that she was pulling out her show “America Sublime” from the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in September.

Sherald said she is revoking her work from the exhibition after being told that the National Portrait Gallery had some concerns about the trans Statue of Liberty portrait during the exhibition. The painting is “Transexual Freedom” and depicts a trans woman with pink hair in a blue dress.

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Amy Sherald attended the 2023 Tribeca Ball at the New York Academy of Arts in New York City on April 4, 2023. (Santiago Felipe/Contributor)

“These concerns led to discussions about deleting the work in the exhibition from the exhibition,” Sherald said in a statement. “While no one should blame it, it is clear that institutional fears shaped by a wider political hostility towards trans life played a role.

“This painting exists to provide space for people whose humanity is politicized and ignored. I cannot adhere well to a censorship culture, especially when it targets vulnerable communities.

“Silence is not an option when trans people are legislated, silence and harmed throughout the country,” Sherald added. “I stick to my work. I stand by my nanny. I stick to the fact that everyone should be seen, not only in life, but in art.”

The Smithsonian did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Vance’s involvement in the matter.

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Donald Trump President and Vice President JD Vance held on the South Lawn on April 14, 2025, after the Ohio State University Buckeye ceremony. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)

The White House said the demolition of Sherald’s exhibition is a “principle-essential step” to foster solidarity towards institutions like the Smithsonians.

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“The ‘Transel Freedom’ painting attempts to reinterpret one of our nation’s most sacred symbols through a lens of division and ideological, fundamentally deviating from the mission and spirit of our national museums,” said Lindsey Halligan, a special assistant to Trump, in a statement to Fox News Numbers.

“The statue of freedom is not an abstract canvas of political expression. It is a symbol of respect and solemnity that defines the freedom, inspiration, and national unity of the American spirit.”

Other members of the Smithsonian board include Chief Justice John Roberts, and Sen. John Boozman. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev. ; and D-Mich. Gary Peters and several other house members.

Gabriel Hays of Fox News contributed to the report.