It appears even Black art isn’t exempt from the pettiness of politics. Without warning or any real reason if we’re being honest, the Trump Administration recently made the executive decision to remove a painting from the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo commissioned by Kehinde Wiley, the Black artist known for his National Portrait Gallery paintings of Barack and Michelle Obama in 2018.
The “take-down” was documented on social media by U.S. Ambassador to Dominican Republic Leah Campos (seen below), who co-signed the order by commending Trump for, in her words, “turning away from globalist and woke ideologies and instead embracing American patriotism and the beauty of our great country!”
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Wiley’s painting in question, “Young Artists After Siamesas 1960” (2013), is the furthest thing from offensive, depicting four Dominican art students posing as famous works by other Dominican artists. The colorful and diverse subject matter is inspiring to say the least, yet somehow managed to be seen as “aesthetically terrifying,” at least in the words of Erin Scavino, the director of Art in Embassies and former contestant on The Apprentice. You can probably take a good guess at who appointed her.
More below on what officials claim is the real reason behind the painting’s removal, via The Independent:
A senior official for the State Department said in a statement to The Independent that it was in discussions with legal representatives to determine whether the painting can be sold but that ‘it would be the goal of Art in Embassies to proudly do so.’
The State Department official did not cite a specific reason for the painting being removed but said that Wiley ‘has been accused of sexual misconduct by several individuals’ and claimed he painted ‘violent and racist’ depictions.
Wiley has denied the accusations of sexual misconduct.
In accusing Wiley of ‘violent’ and ‘racist’ depictions, the State Department official appeared to be referring to Wiley’s 2012 ‘Judith and Holofernes’ series, which features Judith as a Black woman beheading Holofernes as a white woman.
It is a reference to the Biblical story that has inspired multiple other artworks since the Renaissance.”
Although Wiley has been faced with a handful of sexual assault allegations within the past two years alone, the decision appears to be more tied to his association with Trump’s sworn rival Obama, in addition to pushing art in general towards patriotism. Just last month, Art In Embassies organized the “Passport to Patriotism: 250 Years of Diplomacy” exhibition in D.C. comprised of 68 various representations of the American flag across 56 works.
Must we even suffer for our art?