Amy Sherald is a painter who captures everyday joy in her images of Black Americans. She shares motifs with Tyler Mitchell, such as outdoor space and fashionable friends. Her colourful paintings with pastel palettes show Black people enjoying American moments, with their skin painted in grayscale.

What is Amy Sherald known for?

Amy Sherald is known for depicting moments that are devoid of the stereotypical narrative so often imposed on the Black figure in images. Her work has reminded her that she does what she does because her grandmother had never seen a portrait of a Black person in a gallery before.

What was Amy Sherald's art style?

Amy Sherald's art style involves colourful paintings with pastel palettes showing Black people enjoying American moments. A key element of her style is rendering skin in grayscale, while the backgrounds and clothing are rendered with warmth.

Where to See Amy Sherald

2 museums worldwide

About Amy Sherald

American · 1973–present · contemporary art

American^[1] portrait painter who renders Black subjects in grisaille skin tones; painted Michelle Obama's official National Portrait Gallery portrait in 2018.

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Amy Sherald's works are held in 2 museums worldwide.

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🇺🇸 United States

2 museums

Cleveland Museum of Art

Wade Park, United States

1 works

Museum details Map

Also here
Albrecht Dürer (322)Emma Amos (50)Pierre Bonnard (16)Winslow Homer (16)Edgar Degas (13)Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (12)
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

Bentonville, United States

1 works

Museum details Map

Also here
Marsden Hartley (16)Alfred Maurer (9)Winslow Homer (8)Arthur Dove (7)Georgia O'Keeffe (7)George Bellows (4)

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Amy Sherald?
Amy Sherald is a painter who captures everyday joy in her images of Black Americans. She shares motifs with Tyler Mitchell, such as outdoor space and fashionable friends. Her colourful paintings with pastel palettes show Black people enjoying American^[1] moments, with their skin painted in grayscale.
What is Amy Sherald known for?
Amy Sherald is known for depicting moments that are devoid of the stereotypical narrative so often imposed on the Black figure in images. Her work has reminded her that she does what she does because her grandmother had never seen a portrait of a Black person in a gallery before.
What was Amy Sherald's art style?
Amy Sherald's art style involves colourful paintings with pastel palettes showing Black people enjoying American^[1] moments. A key element of her style is rendering skin in grayscale, while the backgrounds and clothing are rendered with warmth.

Sources

Where to See guide aggregates verified holdings of Amy Sherald's works across the following collections.

[1] wikipedia Wikipedia: Amy Sherald Used for: biography.
[2] book Dorling Kindersley, Artists: Inspiring Stories of the World's Most Creative Minds Used for: biography, stylistic analysis.
[3] book downmagaz.net, downmagaz.net Used for: biography.
[4] book https://downmagaz.net, https://downmagaz.net Used for: biography, stylistic analysis.

Editorial overseen by Solis Prints. Sources verified 2026-05-23. Click a source for details, or hover over [N] in the page above to preview.

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