On November 2, 2025, the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) opened Amy Sherald: American Sublime, a sweeping mid-career survey that captures the vision, range, and emotion of one of today’s most celebrated contemporary artists.
The exhibition, on view through April 5, 2026, marks the first major presentation of Sherald’s work in Baltimore—the city where she earned her M.F.A. from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and developed her distinctive approach to portraiture.
Organized by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and previously shown at SFMOMA and the Whitney Museum of American Art, American Sublime brings together approximately 40 paintings created between 2007 and 2024. It traces Sherald’s evolution from her early explorations of intimacy and color to her now-iconic portraits that have redefined how Black life is represented on canvas.
“Baltimore has always been part of my DNA as an artist,” Sherald said in the museum’s announcement. “Every brushstroke carries a little of its history, its energy, its people, and my time there. To bring this exhibition here is to return that love.”
Exploring the Sublime
The galleries immerse visitors in Sherald’s world—a space where beauty, symbolism, and quiet strength coexist. Early works reveal her technical precision and evolving relationship with portraiture, while larger canvases showcase her unmistakable use of grayscale skin tones contrasted against radiant color.
Among the highlights are:
- Miss Everything (Unsuppressed Deliverance), the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition–winning piece that introduced Sherald’s distinctive visual language.
- Ecclesia (The Meeting of Inheritance and Horizons), a monumental triptych created specifically for this exhibition.
- The Breonna Taylor portrait and Trans Forming Liberty, both testaments to Sherald’s commitment to dignity, imagination, and the inner life of her subjects.
Each painting invites reflection on what it means to see—and be seen—in America. Sherald’s figures, often drawn from everyday encounters and styled with care, inhabit timeless settings that speak to individuality, community, and freedom.
A Homecoming of Vision and Spirit
For the BMA, American Sublime represents both an artistic milestone and a heartfelt reunion. Sherald’s years in Baltimore shaped her sensibility, and her work has been part of the museum’s collection since it acquired Planes, Rockets, and the Spaces in Between in 2018.
“Presenting American Sublime at the BMA is a celebration of our creative community,” said Asma Naeem, the museum’s Dorothy Wagner Wallis Director. “Amy’s story is deeply intertwined with Baltimore, and her ability to connect through her art continues to inspire us all.
Visit the Exhibition
Amy Sherald: American Sublime is on view at the Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Drive, through April 5, 2026. Admission is free on opening day and Thursday evenings from 5 to 9 p.m.
Learn more or plan your visit at: https://artbma.org/event/amy-sherald-american-sublime