US State Department Removes Kehinde Wiley Painting from Dominican Republic Embassy

Key facts

• The US State Department removed Kehinde Wiley's painting Young Artists After Siamesas 1960 from the US embassy in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
• The painting was commissioned through the Art in Embassies programme and paid for with taxpayer funds.
• The State Department is exploring the legality of deaccessioning the painting, with the goal of selling it.
• The removal was first reported by Zachary Small of The New York Times.
• The senior official cited sexual misconduct allegations against Wiley (which he denies) and his comments about his Judith beheading Holofernes reinterpretations.
• Ambassador Leah Campos stated the embassy's art should reflect American patriotism and turn away from 'globalist and woke ideologies'.
• The painting, over 12 feet wide and nearly 9 feet tall, was installed in the embassy in summer 2015.
• Wiley received a Medal of Art in 2015 for his contributions to Art in Embassies.
• Wiley's portrait of Barack Obama was unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery in 2018.
• Erin Scavino, director of Art in Embassies, called the painting 'very woke' and 'aesthetically terrifying' on a YouTube show.
• Scavino appointed Jenni Parido, a friend with no curatorial experience, to commission the US pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale.
• Art in Embassies opened Passport to Patriotism: 250 Years of Diplomacy at the Art Museum of the Americas last month.