A gallery participating in the Scope Art Show in Miami Beach was asked by fair organizers to remove a portrait of Donald Trump, which depicts the Republican president-elect mid-speech with the word “huge” overlaid in neon letters.
The Miami-based gallery L Kotler Fine Art said it had been “forced” to remove the piece by artist Shyglo, titled “HUGE” (2016), and is now auctioning the work online instead, where it is listed with an estimate of $15,000 to $30,000. “May the conversation continue,” the gallery said in an Instagram story.
A representative for Scope Art Show denied that the work was targeted on the basis of its content, telling Hyperallergic that the gallery is one of at least 40 exhibitors asked to rehang or remove artworks that “weren’t part of their original accepted proposal.”
Art galleries are required to submit an application months in advance with a booth presentation proposal including the artworks they plan to show.
“SCOPE Art Show is a steadfast champion of freedom of expression and has never asked a gallery to remove a work based on political or personal views in its 23-year history,” the spokesperson said. “L. Kotler Fine Art was asked to remove or rehang multiple works — not only the work in question — because they were not part of their original proposal and not installed according to the specifications given to all galleries.”
Lindsay Kotler, the gallery’s owner, told Hyperallergic that Scope had featured works by Shyglo in its last three editions and that she was surprised when the fair’s director approached her booth and asked her to take down the piece on opening day, Tuesday, December 3, in front of visitors.
“Most of the art in my booth wasn’t part of my original curation. This was the only one that was singled out and demanded to be removed immediately,” Kotler told Hyperallergic.
“The previous piece that was on view was sold. We didn’t want to display something that you can’t acquire, so we switched it out,” Kotler explained.
Shyglo’s paintings are typically rendered in a photorealistic style, portraying political leaders and notable figures such as late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, artist Frida Kahlo, and Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour juxtaposed with words like “icon” or “lucky” scrawled in neon cursive lettering.
“When I created ‘HUGE’ it was meant to spark conversation, not conflict,” Shyglo told Hyperallergic.
“So when we learned the piece was removed from the Scope Art Show, we were shocked. It wasn’t intended to offend; it was meant to engage. To have it silenced felt like a loss of the very purpose of art: inspiring thought, dialogue, and emotion,” the artist said.
