After 12 years at the helm of the National Portrait Gallery (Npg) in Washington, DC, Kim Sajet has announced her resignation, effective immediately. The decision was announced on Friday, June 13, two weeks after a direct intervention by U.S. President Donald Trump, who had called for her removal through a social media post. In the message circulated online, Trump had called Sajet a “highly biased person” and a “strong supporter of [diversity, equity and inclusion] programs,” specifying that in his view such positions were “wholly inappropriate for her function” as director of a national museum. The president harshly criticized the cultural line of the National Portrait Gallery, accusing it of promoting an ideological vision distant from the values shared by the majority of the country. Despite the attack, it should be pointed out that the U.S. president has no direct authority over Npg employees, as the museum is part of the Smithsonian Institution, an autonomous entity that, while receiving federal funds, is not formally part of the government administration.
“It has been an honor to direct the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery,” Kim Sajet wrote in a statement sent Friday morning to staff and shared with The Art Newspaper. “This was not an easy decision, but I believe it is the right one. From the beginning my guiding principle has been to put the museum first. Today I believe that stepping aside is the best way to serve the institution that I care so deeply about. The role of a museum director has never been that of a single individual, but a shared mission driven by the passion, creativity, and dedication of an extraordinary team. Together we have worked to tell a more complete and more American story, one that promotes connection, reflection and understanding. I am deeply grateful to my colleagues, our supporters and the audience for their trust, collaboration and unconditional commitment. It has been a true privilege to lead this extraordinary institution and I will always remain a staunch supporter.”
The Smithsonian Institution, which includes 17 museums and galleries in the federal capital, confirmed in a statement that the directorship of the National Portrait Gallery will be temporarily given to Kevin Gover, currently the institution’s undersecretary for museums and culture. Already in the early days of his second presidential term, Trump signed an executive order mandating the suspension of programs geared toward promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in organizations that benefit to a degree from public funding. According to official data for fiscal year 2024, the Smithsonian Institution received $1.09 billion in government funding. An additional executive order, dated late March, directly affected the Smithsonian, stipulating that the institution’s museums must remove all references to what has been called “divisive, race-centered ideology.” The order also included an explicit threat to withdraw public funding from any exhibit or work deemed not to conform to a generic idea of “shared American values.” In the specific case of Director Sajet, Trump did not initially provide precise details about the reasons for her removal request. In a message addressed to all staff, Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Griffith Bunch praised Kim Sajet for “reinventing and redefining the impact and narrative of portraiture.Her decision to put the museum first is to be applauded and appreciated. I know it was not an easy decision. She put the needs of the institution before her own, and for that we are grateful.”
“Director Sajet’s firing is unacceptable and carries the same legal weight as the president’s previous attempts to undermine the Smithsonian’s independence: absolutely none,” argue Democratic lawmakers Joe Morelle and Rosa DeLauro.
In any case, when Sajet continued to hold regular office, the White House released a 17-point document listing the reasons for the challenge. According to reports in the Washington Post, among the points of criticism was a text installed inside the Npg next to a portrait of Trump, in which it referred to his alleged “incitement to insurrection” at the events of Jan. 6, 2021. On that date, hundreds of supporters of the then-president attacked the Capitol, attempting to prevent the official certification of the results of the November 2020 presidential election, which had decreed Joe Biden’s victory. The events of that day, which caused five deaths and numerous injuries, also led to the initiation of a second impeachment procedure against Trump, after the first one occurred during his first term. In addition to challenging that specific content, the document released by the White House highlighted the administration’s disagreement with the overall approach of museum leadership under Sajet’s leadership. Although the National Portrait Gallery sought to maintain a balance between historical representation and contemporary interpretation, the president found unacceptable the inclusion of critical perspectives that he felt would undermine national identity.
 |
| Kim Sajet, director of National Portrait Gallery, resigns after pressure from Trump |
Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.
