After former President Donald Trump criticized a painted portrait of himself hanging in the Colorado state Capitol, the artist behind the work says his comments have seriously hurt her decades-long career.
The portrait, painted by Sarah Boardman, was commissioned during Trump’s first term and installed in the Capitol’s rotunda in 2019, alongside portraits of other U.S. presidents—including one of Barack Obama, also painted by Boardman.
In a Truth Social post last month, Trump praised Boardman’s Obama portrait but harshly criticized the one of himself, calling it “purposefully distorted” and “truly the worst.”
Without naming her, he said the artist “must have lost her talent as she got older” and claimed he’d rather have no portrait at all than the one currently displayed.
Following Trump’s remarks, state Republicans removed the painting from the rotunda.
Over the weekend, Boardman addressed the situation in a statement on her website. She said the former president’s comments questioned her “intentions, integrity, and abilities” and that she painted the portrait without any political agenda or intent to misrepresent him.
She also noted the piece had received largely positive feedback throughout the six years it was on display.
Boardman, who is based in Colorado Springs, said the backlash is now directly threatening her painting business, which she’s maintained for over 41 years.
Though she did not provide specific details, she warned that her career may not recover from the fallout.
According to her biography, Boardman trained in Germany using classical “Old Masters” techniques—like those of Rembrandt—and has painted prominent figures including President George W. Bush, a federal judge, and members of the U.S. military.
But she says she especially enjoys painting “wonderfully ordinary people.”
The oil painting of Trump was funded through $11,000 in donations raised by Republicans, according to Colorado Public Radio.
State Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen said he requested the portrait’s removal to make room for a “contemporary likeness” of Trump.
He cited precedent from President Grover Cleveland, who is represented in the gallery by a portrait from his second term.
Trump isn’t the first president to dislike a painting of himself. Theodore Roosevelt famously hated a 1902 portrait that his family mocked as depicting him like a “mewing cat.” Lyndon B. Johnson once called his official portrait “the ugliest thing I ever saw,” while artist Peter Hurd called Johnson’s remarks “very damn rude.”
Even Richard Nixon wasn’t pleased with his first official portrait, quietly replacing it in 1984 with one by another artist whose work he preferred.
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