US politics

Artists and scholars respond to White House’s list of Smithsonian grievances

Amy Sherald, the historian Ibram X. Kendi and others personally attacked in the Trump administration’s list of reasons for why the president “is right about the Smithsonian” hit back

More than 150 US arts organisations pledge to resist political pressure

The joint statement, which does not name Donald Trump, comes as the US president seeks to remake the Kennedy Center and dictate programming at the Smithsonian

US museums urged to stop lobbying against Nazi loot restitution bill

A bipartisan group of Senators has proposed amendments to the Hear Act of 2016, but some powerful organisations are concerned the changes go too far

Trump accuses Smithsonian of being too focused on ‘how bad slavery was’

The US president’s criticisms come as the White House begins a review of the Smithsonian’s programmes and exhibitions

US Senator calls for investigation into MoMA trustee Leon Black’s business ties to Jeffrey Epstein

The push by Senator Ron Wyden comes amid partisan disputes over the nature and extent of Epstein’s dealings with the rich and powerful

White House launches review of Smithsonian museums and exhibitions

In a letter to the Smithsonian leader Lonnie G. Bunch, members of Trump’s administration said they want to “ensure alignment with the President’s directive to celebrate American exceptionalism”

Smithsonian museum removes label referencing Trump impeachments

The label had been added to a display at the National Museum of American History about checks on presidential powers in 2021 following Trump's second impeachment

Yale University Art Gallery withdraws federal funding applications over anti-diversity regulations

Instead, the museum will draw on Yale University’s endowment for funds to mount an upcoming show of African art

US Senators propose anti-money-laundering legislation for the art market

The Art Market Integrity Act proposed by a bipartisan group of US lawmakers would bring US regulation in line with Europe and the UK

Amy Sherald cancels Smithsonian show over censorship claim

The artist says leaders at the National Portrait Gallery suggested removing her painting of a non-binary transgender person posing as the Statue of Liberty

Trump pulls US out of ‘woke’ Unesco

The State Department says that Unesco membership does not square with its “America-first” outlook

Andres Serrano proposes Donald Trump mausoleum for US pavilion at the Venice Biennale

American artist plans to install a multi-media portrait of the president for the 2026 exhibition—but question marks still hang over the application process

US states step up to fund the arts in the wake of federal cuts

Trump’s defunding of the NEA and NEH is changing how state arts commissions get their money

US immigration agents show up unannounced at Puerto Rican cultural centre in Chicago

More than a dozen Department of Homeland Security vehicles swarmed the parking lot of the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture

Leaderscomment

Comment | Now is the time to fight for US arts funding

The Trump administration’s defunding of the arts has more than symbolic significance

Trump seeks to defund Institute of American Indian Arts

The only four-year college of its kind is on Trump's chopping block, along with countless other Indigenous causes

Trump’s bill to cut taxes and social safety net programmes includes $40m for patriotic sculpture park

The president’s signature bill, approved by the US Senate on 1 July, is expected to add trillions of dollars to the national debt

US government’s attempts to solicit National Park visitors’ feedback on historical depictions backfires

Notices asking visitors to report “any signs or other information that are negative about either past or living Americans” prompted outrage and pushback

Trump dances with Jeffrey Epstein in new National Mall sculpture

A new anonymous, satirical art piece aimed at the US President has found its way into the White House's orbit

Miami arts organisations face existential crisis amid funding collapse

Cuts in federal, state and county funding—sometimes to nil—are pushing South Florida’s arts ecosystem to the brink

Trump administration violated the law by withholding museum and library funding, government watchdog finds

The non-partisan Government Accountability Office says the Trump administration illegally impounded federal funding that had been approved by Congress

Kim Sajet, director of US National Portrait Gallery whom Trump tried to fire, resigns

Sajet said it was “not an easy decision” but “the best way to serve the institution I hold so deeply in my heart”

National Endowment for the Humanities staff dwindles as two-thirds of workforce laid off

Around 100 workers at the US federal agency were let go on Tuesday, following orders from the Trump administration

Smithsonian asserts authority to make ‘all personnel decisions’ following Trump attempts to fire gallery director

In response to the president’s targeting of National Portrait Gallery director Kim Sajet, the organisation has issued a strategically broad statement, touting its independence and governance by a board and secretary

Art marketanalysis

Amid uncertainty over Trump’s tariffs, many collectors pause purchases while others ‘hold their noses and pay’

The antiques trade and lower- to mid-tier sectors of the art market are waiting for the situation to stabilise, while the most deep-pocketed collectors continue to transact

Leaderscomment

Comment | In the Trump era, LGBTQ+ communities and culture need support

“With the return of an emboldened Trump administration, our communities are facing a sustained campaign of hostility and a chilling rollback of civil rights”

Trump claims he has fired director of US National Portrait Gallery

It is not clear the president has the authority to make staffing decisions for the gallery, which is part of the Smithsonian Institution

Humanities organisations sue Department of Government Efficiency to restore NEH grants

Two humanities organisations have filed a lawsuit against Doge and the National Endowment for the Humanities in an attempt to restore slashed funds

Foundations' emergency arts and humanities grants provide temporary fix for gaps left by Trump’s slashing of federal funding

Staff reductions, budget cuts and grant cancellations at the NEA, NEH and IMLS have left state and local organisations seeking alternative support

US participation in 2026 Venice Biennale in limbo amid Trump's arts defunding

The administration's delays and disavowal of diversity initiatives have put the US Pavilion at the world's biggest biennial behind schedule