The National Museum of African American History and Culture is in talks with the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, Kentucky to jointly acquire a painting of Breonna Taylor by Amy Sherald that first appeared on the cover of the September 2020 issue of Vanity Fair. The museum plans to display the portrait later this year.
Sherald’s portrait depicts Taylor in a blue flowing gown, designed by Jasmine Elder of the Atlanta-based fashion brand Jibri. Sherald has said that producing this image keeps Breonna alive forever. The portrait will be purchased from the artist, who plans to donate proceeds to causes that support social-justice reform.
Sherald is an American painter who documents the contemporary African American experience through portraits. She is best known for her portrait of former First Lady Michelle Obama featured in the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. Another portrait by Sherald, Grand Dame Queenie, is on display in the museum’s art gallery.
