There will be more than 50 works on display!
Amy Sherald is a Georgia native who rose to prominence during her time in Baltimore, Washingtonian Mag reports. Holding an MFA in painting and an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art, it was Sherald’s 2014 work “Miss Everything (Unsuppressed Deliverance)” that first brought her national recognition from the Portrait Gallery. Submitting the piece to the Gallery’s 2016 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition, Sherald made history as the first woman and first African American person ever to win the contest. The win came with a $25,000 cash prize and the chance to commission a portrait of a remarkable living American to be featured in the Portrait Gallery’s permanent collection. Sherald chose Michelle Obama.
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The official painting of the Forever First Lady debuted in 2018, and Sherald made history again as one of the first Black artists to be commissioned to paint a presidential couple for the National Portrait Gallery alongside artist Kehinde Wiley. That year, the Portrait Gallery shattered records, bringing in about 2.3 million visitors, nearly a million more than the previous year. Now, Sherald is returning, debuting her first major museum show at the Portrait Gallery and making history as the first contemporary Black artist to have a solo exhibition at the coveted venue. National Portrait Gallery director of curatorial affairs, Rhea L. Combs, called it “an incredible sort of ‘welcome home’” for Sherald.
“To be able to have a platform like a portrait competition that then turns into a commission that then helps someone become an internationally recognized artist is literally the chef’s kiss. There’s nothing, no better feeling than that for a curator,” said Combs.
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“Amy Sherald: American Sublime” will feature more than 50 of Sherald’s works, both known and never-before-seen. The pieces span nearly two decades, created between 2007 and the present day. In addition to the portrait of Michelle Obama, Sherald’s 2020 portrait of Breonna Taylor, which was featured on the cover of Vanity Fair, “Miss Everything,” will be featured in the exhibit.
Sherald is known for her portraits that center the everyday life of Black people. Focusing on her use of grayscale color palettes, her goal is to “highlight race as a construct.” The new exhibition will be the first of Sherald’s shows to highlight the relationship between the portraits and their reference materials.
“Amy Sherald: American Sublime” premieres at the National Portrait Gallery on September 19, 2025, and continues through February 22, 2026.
Cover photo: Amy Sherald to Make History as First Contemporary Black Artist to Have Solo Exhibition at National Portrait Gallery/Photo Credit: Kelvin Bulluck