As soon as the elevator doors open onto the fifth floor of the Whitney Museum, visitors are immediately greeted with the words “Amy Sherald: American Sublime” boldly printed on the wall. The exhibition, now on display through August 10, has been captivating museum-goers since its opening.
Sherald focuses her visual storytelling by creating portraitist works, with paintings featuring subjects contrasted against various solid-colored backgrounds. The painter and photographer, who attended the Maryland Institute College of Art, refers to herself as an American artist “who portrays Black life … It turns out painting Black people is kind of political.
“We don’t refer to the work of white artists as ‘white art,’ even when their subjects are predominantly white,” said the artist. Sherald’s paintings in the Whitney exhibition display African Americans in causal settings. “My work is part of the broader American narrative,” she shared.
Her “The Girl Next Door, 2019” painting, against a solid green background, highlights a full-figured dark-skinned woman. Done in oil on canvas, it is intentionally one of the first five of the paintings that visitors see. “Images can change the world,” shared Sherald, who effectively blends painting with photography by isolating her subjects to a minimal yet bold background, avoiding distractions.
Brenika Banks photos
A visitor enjoying “Freeing herself was one thing, taking ownership of that freed self was another, 2013” in the “Amy Sherald: American Sublime” exhibition at the Whitney Museum. 
“If you surrendered to the air, you could ride it, 2019” 
AmNews reporter Brenika Banks posing with “Michelle La Vaughn Robinson Obama, 2018” 
“What’s different about Alice is that she has the most incisive way of telling the truth, 2017” 
“A Golden Afternoon,” 2016 (left) and “What’s precious inside of him does not care to be known by the mind in ways that diminish its presence (All American), 2017” (right) 
“The Girl Next Door, 2019” 
The entrance of the “Amy Sherald: American Sublime” exhibition at the Whitney Museum.
Rujeko Hockley, the exhibition’s curator, does an excellent job of drawing audiences in, sharing that American Realism is something the Whitney was very focused on. “People are responding well to the show,” said Hockley. “It traveled from SFMOMA (San Francisco Museum of Modern Art) [and] was then organized at the Whitney.” Hockley has been working on the exhibition for over a year, and it has significantly impacted her growth at the Whitney as a curator. “I’ve really been lucky to continue to have opportunities to grow,” said Hockley, who believes this show is special in many ways, and loved working with Sherald. “She’s a very special person — really a light in this world,” said Hockley.
“Working with Rujeko Hockley was deeply aligned with these intentions,” said Sherald. “Together, we worked to ensure that every aspect of this show honored the integrity of the portraits.” Sherald is enjoying what she describes as a beautiful and humble experience with her works on display. She appreciates seeing people engrossed with her paintings, and beyond, including the emotions and histories inside them. “The process reflected a shared commitment to protecting space for broader American narratives to be seen, felt, and remembered on their own terms,” said Sherald.
“What’s different about Alice is that she has the most incisive way of telling the truth, 2017” features a woman holding a 35mm film camera. The painting’s label describes the bond between the camera and the subject as an “intimate relationship between an artist and their tools.” This painting parallels Sherald as a photographer, whose photos are an essential early step in transforming her subjects into paintings. She blends photography into painting authentically, and shared that making large paintings for a museum exhibition is “a dream come true.”
“A Golden Afternoon, 2016” and “What’s precious inside of him does not care to be known by the mind in ways that diminish its presence (All American), 2017” are positioned next to each other. These paintings, and all her pieces, display Sherald’s strategic decision to use gray paint for her African American subjects. Sherald said her works in the exhibition are more than just traditional pieces — they are focused on everyday Black Americans who are very special, being ordinary, yet extraordinary.
Hockley credits Sherald with artistically aligning with many institutional collections. Sherald illustrates that reminders of our history are, in creative and artistic ways, reflected well through this exhibition. “I think what’s most meaningful for me is that people aren’t just ‘looking,’ they’re feeling, remembering, reflecting,” said Sherald. “That’s all I could hope for.”
“The first time I saw Amy Sherald’s beautiful portrait of me, I have to admit, it felt surreal,” said Michelle Obama in the exhibition’s audio. “It’s me through Amy’s eyes — but somehow, it’s me through my eyes, too.” This painting made the former first lady feel proud of her family’s generations who came before her. “My hope is that when people look at this painting, they see that sense of possibility staring back at them.” She hopes viewers of this painting feel braver and stronger, and hope they realize they can be anything. “That’s why I’m so grateful to Amy for the gift of this portrait, and I hope you love it just as much as I do.”
For more info, visit whitney.org.