[REVISION HISTORY]

U.S. State Department removal of Kehinde Wiley painting

Updated 1 time since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-08-27 17:56 UTC → 2026-08-28 04:26 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The U.S. Department of State has removed the painting ‘Young Artists After Siamesas 1960’ by Kehinde Wiley from the American Embassy in Santo Domingo. The artwork, commissioned in 2013 to honor Dominican art and artists, was replaced by an image of the American flag. State Department officials have indicated an intention to sell the ~~painting.~~ painting, noting they are consulting legal representatives to determine if a sale is permissible. The decision follows controversy regarding the artist; a department spokeswoman cited Wiley’s previous comments regarding a different painting and mentioned sexual assault allegations against him, which Wiley has denied. The department stated that works containing “violent and racist words and depictions” are not appropriate for the current administration’s State Department. Ambassador Leah Campos described the removal as a move away from “globalist and woke ~~ideologies,”~~ ideologies” in favor of “American patriotism,” while Erin Scavino, Director of Art in Embassies, characterized the piece as “very woke” and “aesthetically terrifying.” Wiley, who received the State Department’s Medal of Arts in 2015, created the piece after researching Dominican modernists and collaborating with local design students.

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