I look at America’s heart—people, landscapes, and cityscapes—and I see it as an opportunity to add to an American art narrative … I paint because I am looking for versions of myself in art history and in the world.
—Amy Sherald
We are honored and excited to have the beautiful painting Saint Woman by Amy Sherald on loan to us at the Portland Art Museum. Sherald is one of art’s great portraitists, recognized for her 2018 painting of First Lady Michelle Obama and her 2020 painting of Breonna Taylor. Her sole focus is on Black Americans and most of her subjects are life-size depictions of everyday people, set against a backdrop of vibrant color. In each portrait, Sherald opens a window onto the sitter’s interior life with her ability to observe and capture unique features, expressions, and gestures. I hope you’ll come by and see this piece while we have this opportunity to share it until December.
—Sara Krajewski, the Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art.
Amy Sherald (American, born 1973), Saint Woman, 2015, oil on canvas, Private Collection, Monique Meloche Gallery and Hauser & Wirth
