The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York has opened "Amy Sherald: American Sublime," the largest exhibition of the artist's work and her first solo museum show in the city. Featuring over 40 paintings created between 2007 and 2024, the exhibition includes iconic portraits of Michelle Obama and Breonna Taylor, as well as works inspired by Alfred Eisenstaedt's famous photograph and filmmaker Wes Anderson. The show is organized chronologically, beginning with the rarely seen "Hangman" (2007), and includes "If You Surrendered to the Air, You Could Ride It" (2020), shown for the first time since its acquisition by the Whitney five years ago.
This exhibition matters because it cements Amy Sherald's status as one of America's most prominent contemporary figurative artists, offering a comprehensive view of her two-decade career. However, the show arrives amid controversy: Sherald recently canceled the exhibition's planned next stop at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., citing censorship after disputes over the presentation of her painting "Trans Forming Liberty" (2024). This cancellation highlights ongoing tensions between artists and institutions over curatorial control and freedom of expression.