At least one artist wants his work back from the Trump administration
Kehinde Wiley, who painted Barack Obama for the National Portrait Gallery, has offered to buy back his work from the U.S. embassy in the Dominican Republic.
The Trump administration's efforts to discredit art that doesn't align with its agenda have extended beyond the Kennedy Center. In the summer, Kehinde Wiley's painting, "Young Artists After Siamesas 1960," commissioned by the State Department in 2013, was mocked by officials who called it "aesthetically terrifying." The painting, which depicts Obama, has been removed from the embassy and suggested for sale.
Kehinde Wiley, the artist behind the work, expressed his desire to reclaim the painting, stating, "If the administration is not particularly interested in the work, bring it home. Let me have it." Wiley attributed his treatment by the administration to the fact that he painted Obama, noting, "That is the elephant in the living room."
He also claims the painting was targeted due to potential 2024 claims of sexual assault by the artist, which he denies. Wiley suggests the characterization of the painting as homophobic, emphasizing the panic and fear surrounding queer people and people of color. He has formally written a letter requesting to purchase the painting back, hoping to get it before it's treated like a sculpture outside of a prestigious performing arts institution.
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