Kehinde Wiley shows canceled due to sexual misconduct allegations

The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) has canceled an upcoming exhibition by painter Kehinde Wiley in light of recent allegations of sexual misconduct made against the artist by several men. The Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, Neb., and the Pérez Art Museum Miami have also quietly suspended plans to stage Wiley's work.

In a statement sent to the Times, Wiley denied the allegations, writing: “It is disappointing that this social media-driven fabrication distracts from the purpose of the tour: to shed light on the inequalities faced by black and white people. Maroons face in our society. These allegations are completely false, raising more questions about their credibility and motivation than facts supporting their authenticity.

A media representative for Mia wrote: “Mia was planning to participate in the Kehinde Wiley exhibition, but due to these unfortunate allegations, we will not be proceeding with this presentation. »

Wiley, a South Los Angeles native, rose to international fame in 2018 with his official portrait of Barack Obama, housed in the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC. The painting depicts the president against a lush background of chrysanthemums, jasmine and African blue lilies. In 2021, the Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens commissioned Wiley to create a response to Thomas Gainsborough's 1770 portrait “The Blue Boy,” which is by far the most popular work in its collection. For a time, Wiley's painting, “A Portrait of a Young Gentleman,” hung in its place.

The first allegation against Wiley surfaced in late May in an Instagram post by British-born Ghanaian artist Joseph Awuah-Darko, founder of the Noldor Artist Residency. Awuah-Darko claimed that Wiley grabbed his buttocks during a dinner held in his honor in Ghana in June 2021. He also alleged a second assault that was allegedly “much more serious and violent.”

Earlier this week, a second man, Black Lives Matter activist Derrick Ingram, alleged on Instagram that Wiley raped and sexually assaulted him in 2021. Awuah-Darko posted this claim, along with those of a third man, Terrell Armistead, who claimed Wiley had sex. attacked him in his Manhattan apartment while Armistead was in his final year of college in 2010.

Wiley's attorney, Jennifer Barrett, released a statement to the Times denying Armistead's allegations.

“Mr. Awuah-Darko found another troubled person to join his campaign to smear Mr. Wiley. Mr. Wiley does not know who this latest accuser is. Nor does he remember meeting him “, she wrote. “But what is clear is that the events he describes never happened. Like Mr. Awuah-Darko, he completely fabricated this sordid story – until. to the “two big dogs” he claimed to have at Mr. Wiley's house at the time. In fact, although Mr. Wiley's two Afghan dogs were frequently featured in the media, he did not own them until five years later. the alleged event – ​​the first in 2015 and the second in 2017.”

Barrett included a photo of a receipt for an Afghan puppy dated 2015, adding that Wiley “intends to use every avenue at his disposal, legal or otherwise, to defend his reputation.”

The Joslyn and Pérez art museums did not respond to The Times' requests for comment regarding why Wiley was removed from their upcoming programming, although a Wiley representative said its team was working with the museum Joslyn to reschedule the exhibition.

In an Instagram post on Tuesday, Wiley denied the allegations made by Awuah-Darko and Ingram, writing: “What motivates these individuals to make these disgusting accusations? …We live in a world where one false social media post can destroy someone's life, where people are judged and condemned online without regard to the truth. This is dangerous and wrong.