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Trump Officials Take Down, Explore Sale of Kehinde Wiley Painting Commissioned for US Embassy
State Department officials are weighing a sale after removing the government-commissioned work, which was labeled “woke” by Trump administration figures.
- On Monday, the State Department announced it is exploring the legal possibility of selling Kehinde Wiley's painting "Young Artists After Siamesas 1960," which officials removed from the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo earlier this month.
- Director of Art in Embassies Erin Scavino described the painting as "very woke" and "aesthetically terrifying" last week, while Ambassador Leah Campos celebrated its removal as a shift away from "globalist and woke ideologies."
- While Wiley denies sexual misconduct allegations, State Department officials claimed his work contains "violent" and "racist" depictions, appearing to reference his 2012 series "Judith and Holofernes."
- The State Department is consulting with legal representatives to ascertain whether the painting can be sold, with a spokesperson stating the agency's goal is "to do so," though no precedent exists for such action.
- This effort reflects a broader trend of the Trump administration remaking the Art in Embassies program, including changes to the 2026 Venice Biennale selection process that replace diversity language with requirements concerning "American values.
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Trump admin explores legality of selling off 'aesthetically terrifying' Obama portrait
Marco Rubio's State Department is seeking legal guidance as part of an attempt to sell off a government-owned portrait of former President Barack Obama.According to a report from the Washington Post, State Department officials are exploring options to sell a painting by celebrated artist Kehinde Wiley that has been labeled "woke" by Trump administration officials and was removed from the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic.The painting, title…
·Washington, United States
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Trump Administration Weighs Sale of Kehinde Wiley Painting in Larger Shift Away from ‘Globalist and Woke Ideologies’
The U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic took down Kehinde Wiley’s Young Artists After Siamesas 1960 painting, swapping it for an image of the American flag.
·New York, United States
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Total News Sources11
Leaning Left6Leaning Right2Center2Last UpdatedBias Distribution60% Left
Bias Distribution
- 60% of the sources lean Left
60% Left
L 60%
C 20%
R 20%
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