Cliff Notes
- The artist Sarah Boardman claims her business is at risk after Donald Trump publicly criticised her official portrait of him, stating it is “in danger of not recovering.”
- Trump described the portrait as “truly the worst” while praising Boardman’s prior work of Barack Obama, leading to its removal from the Colorado State Capitol.
- Boardman, who has been painting for over 41 years, argues that Trump’s comments have negatively impacted the previously well-received portrait and her reputation as an artist.
Artist behind Trump portrait criticised by president as ‘truly the worst’ says business ‘in danger of not recovering’
An artist whose official portrait of Donald Trump was publicly criticised by the president said her business is now “in danger of not recovering”.
The Republican leader made headlines at the end of last month when, in a post on his Truth Social platform, he said the portrait hanging in Colorado’s State Capitol had been “purposefully distorted”.
Following the criticism, officials said the portrait would be taken down and it has since been removed.
Sarah Boardman, the British artist who painted the Trump portrait, said in a statement that she felt her “intentions, integrity, and abilities” had been “called into question” when the president criticised the oil painting.
In his post, Mr Trump said a portrait by the same artist of former US president Barack Obama was “wonderful” but “the one on me is truly the worst”.
Referring to Ms Boardman, whose collection of official portraits also includes one of former president George W Bush, Mr Trump said “she must have lost her talent as she got older”.