Artist of 'truly the worst' Trump portrait fears career fallout
Portrait of president Donald Trump at the Colorado State Capitol (Photo: Getty Images)
American artist Sarah A. Boardman stated that Donald Trump’s criticism of her portrait, which hung in the Colorado State Capitol, is threatening her career, reports CNN.
The portrait of Donald Trump, painted by Sarah A. Boardman and displayed in the Colorado State Capitol for almost six years, was removed after the US president labeled it as "truly the worst" on his Truth Social account.
Trump also accused the artist of "purposefully distorting" his image, which, according to Boardman, is "directly and negatively impacting my business… which now is in danger of not recovering."
Trump wanted his portrait removed from the Colorado State Capitol after expressing dissatisfaction with the painting, and Republicans supported his demand.
In his post, Trump compared the portrait to another work by Boardman - a portrait of Barack Obama hanging next to it - noting that the one of Obama looked "wonderful," while the one of himself was "truly the worst." He also took a personal jab, claiming that the artist "lost her talent as she got older."
The artist defends her work
Sarah A. Boardman rejected accusations of bias and caricature, emphasizing that she worked "accurately, without purposeful distortion, political bias, or any attempt to caricature the subject." She also noted that since the portrait’s unveiling in 2019, she had received "overwhelmingly positive reviews."
The Trump portrait was commissioned by Colorado Republicans after they raised over $10,000 for the project through a GoFundMe campaign. Boardman had previously defended the portrait from criticism of a different kind - that Trump’s serious expression did not reflect his temperament.
The artist stated she would not be commenting further on the controversy.
