State Department Removes Kehinde Wiley Painting From Dominican Embassy

The United States Department of State removed a painting by artist Kehinde Wiley, titled "Young Artists After Siamesas 1960," from the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. U.S. Ambassador Leah Campos announced the removal on August 11, stating the move reflects a shift away from "globalist and woke ideologies" toward "American patriotism."

Erin Scavino, director of the Art in Embassies program, described the work as "very woke" and "aesthetically terrifying." The State Department further justified the removal by citing Wiley's 2023 comments regarding a different painting—which he described as a "play on the ‘kill whitey’ thing"—and a 2025 sexual assault lawsuit. Officials asserted that the work of an individual with such depictions has no place in the "America First State Department." Wiley has denied the sexual misconduct allegations.

Commissioned in 2013 with taxpayer funds and completed in 2015, the painting is now the subject of a legal review. On August 25, the State Department announced it is consulting legal representatives to determine if the government-owned artwork can be sold at auction. Former curator Virginia Shore, who originally commissioned the piece, defended the work as nonpartisan and noted there is no precedent for selling embassy art.