ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - A Georgia native and acclaimed portrait artist voluntarily cancelled an upcoming show at the Smithsonian Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. after controversy surrounding one of her works.

Amy Sherald, who skyrocketed to the fore of the art scene with her portrait of former First Lady Michelle Obama, was scheduled to launch her portrait exhibit in September at the famed museum.

But one of the pieces in that collection, titles “Trans Forming America,” is now at the center of the cancellation.

Depicting a trans woman posing in the same manner as the Statue of Liberty, the Smithsonian said they would only display the portrait if it were accompanied by a video providing “contextualization of the piece.”

“The Smithsonian strives to foster a greater and shared understanding. By presenting and contextualizing art, the Smithsonian aims to inspire, challenge and impact audiences in meaningful and thoughtful ways,” said a spokesperson with the Smithsonian on Friday. “Unfortunately, we could not come to an agreement with the artist. We remain appreciative and inspired by Ms. Sherald, her artwork and commitment to portraiture.”

Sherald is a native of Columbus, Georgia and an alum of Clark Atlanta University. She has shown work at the High Museum of Art in Midtown as well as Spelman College’s Museum of Fine Art.

Sherald provided Atlanta News First with a statement on Friday.

“While no single person is to blame, it’s clear that institutional fear shaped by a broader climate of political hostility toward trans lives played a role,” it read, in part. “This painting exists to hold space for someone whose humanity has been politicized and disregarded. I cannot in good conscience comply with a culture of censorship, especially when it targets vulnerable communities.”

The Trans Forming America piece was part of a larger showing titled “American Sublime.”

“For her to pour her life into that and then get somewhere that says, ‘break apart your vision, your vision isn’t valid, the story that you’re telling, we don’t want it,’ I’m sure that has to be an insult to her,” said local art expert and collector Everett Long.

Long has been a longtime fan of Sherald and saw her showing at Spelman. He said the cancelation of the Smithsonian show was disappointing, especially given the climate around trans issues in the U.S. currently.

“That story that she’s telling gets broken when you have an organization that wants to destroy an artist’s image,” said Long. “It’s going to be a loss for the people who love museums and art, and the community members of D.C. who want to see that show. That’s unfair, it’s unfortunate.”

The Smithsonian may have been placating a Trump administration executive order, signed this year. The so-called “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” order bars “exhibits or programs that degrade shared American values” and threatens the loss of federal funding to institutions that ignore the spirit of the order.

“I understand that they’re probably, honestly, nervous,” said Long. “They’re scared. There’s a lot of fear, and that’s on purpose, right?”

Read Sherald’s full statement below:

“I have made the decision to withdraw my exhibition American Sublime from the Smithsonian‘s National Portrait Gallery. As a painter, I believe in portraiture’s power to witness, to dignify, and to insist on presence, especially for those too often rendered invisible. We live in a society with a selective memory, one that frequently overlooks lives at its margins. I was informed by the National Portrait Gallery that concerns had been raised internally about the museum’s inclusion of a portrait of a trans woman titled Trans Forming Liberty. These concerns led to discussions about removing the work from the exhibition. While no single person is to blame, it’s clear that institutional fear shaped by a broader climate of political hostility toward trans lives played a role. This painting exists to hold space for someone whose humanity has been politicized and disregarded. I cannot in good conscience comply with a culture of censorship, especially when it targets vulnerable communities. At a time when transgender people are being legislated against, silenced, and endangered across our nation, silence is not an option. I stand by my work. I stand by my sitters. I stand by the truth that all people deserve to be seen—not only in life, but in art."

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