The State Department Is Considering Selling the Work by Kehinde Wiley, the Artist Behind Barack Obama’s Presidential Portrait
The Trump administration has removed a painting by acclaimed Black artist Kehinde Wiley from the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic, with administration officials labeling the artwork “woke” as the State Department considers whether it can be sold.
The painting, “Young Artists After Siamesas 1960,” was commissioned by the State Department in 2013 during the Obama administration through its Art in Embassies program and installed at the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo in 2015.
Wiley is widely known for painting former President Barack Obama’s official portrait, which was unveiled at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in 2018.
The embassy painting features four Dominican models posed against Wiley’s signature floral backdrop. Wiley studied Dominican artists Celeste Woss y Gil and Gilberto Hernández Ortega while developing the work.
Ambassador Says Embassy Is Moving Away From ‘Woke Ideologies’
U.S. Ambassador to the Dominican Republic Leah Campos publicly celebrated the painting’s removal in an Aug. 11 Instagram video showing the artwork covered by an American flag-themed tarp before workers took it down.
“In the Trump Administration and under my leadership we are turning away from globalist and woke ideologies and instead embracing American patriotism and the beauty of our great country!” Campos wrote.
Campos also said she wants the art and décor displayed by the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo to reflect American “beauty, strength and commitment to liberty.”
The State Department confirmed this week that officials are consulting attorneys to determine whether the government can legally sell the Wiley painting. If a sale is permitted, officials said that would be the department’s goal.
Erin Scavino, executive director of the State Department’s Art in Embassies program, has also criticized the piece, calling it “very woke” and “aesthetically terrifying.”
Wiley’s Work Faces Renewed Scrutiny
The administration has also pointed to Wiley’s other artwork and past controversies surrounding the artist.
One of his better-known works, “Judith and Holofernes,” reimagines the biblical story with a Black woman holding the severed head of a white woman. The State Department cited Wiley’s past remarks about that work while defending its decision to distance itself from the artist.
Wiley has also faced sexual misconduct and assault allegations from several people, allegations he has repeatedly denied.
The controversy has affected his standing in the art world, with several museums previously canceling or postponing exhibitions featuring his work.
The removal comes as the Trump administration continues a broader effort to reshape how federal institutions present American history and culture. Trump has targeted diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across the federal government and has directed the Smithsonian to eliminate exhibits and programming his administration considers ideologically divisive.
The dispute over Wiley’s painting now extends that fight overseas, where the Art in Embassies program has displayed American artwork at diplomatic missions for more than six decades.
The same program once honored Wiley with a State Department Medal of Art in 2015 for his contributions to cultural diplomacy.
