The National Portrait Gallery has postponed the opening of its highly anticipated Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition exhibition as the Smithsonian Institution braces for potential closure due to federal funding shortfalls amid an ongoing government shutdown. The "Outwin 2025: American Portraiture Today" exhibition was scheduled to open on Saturday, October 18, and run through August 30, 2026.
Participating artists received notification of the postponement through an October 7 letter obtained by Hyperallergic. "We will announce a rescheduled date for the opening events and of the exhibition following the resolution of lapsed funding," wrote Elliot Gruber, the gallery's acting director. Gruber took over leadership after Kim Sajet, the longtime director, resigned in June following criticism from former President Trump on his Truth Social platform, where he accused her of being partisan.
A National Portrait Gallery spokesperson explained that the museum made the proactive decision to delay the opening to allow artists and attendees time to modify their travel and accommodation arrangements in case of potential delays. "Depending on if the museum does have to shut down or not, we may need more time to complete the installation that is currently underway. We will determine a new opening date once we reopen if we find ourselves in that situation," the spokesperson told Hyperallergic.
The postponement occurs as the government shutdown enters its ninth day, with the Smithsonian Institution facing a funding crisis. The institution announced last week that it has sufficient resources from private trusts and previous federal allocations to maintain operations at its 21 museums and zoo only through Saturday, October 11. Other cultural institutions have already begun closing, with the National Gallery of Art shuttering due to lack of funding and National Park sites across the country also closing their doors.
The Outwin Competition represents one of the most prestigious opportunities for portrait artists in America, attracting thousands of submissions from across the nation. Artists over 18 who live in the United States and its territories, including Puerto Rico, Guam, and American Samoa, can submit recent portrait works to a distinguished panel of judges. The competition offers substantial rewards, with first-place winners receiving a $25,000 prize and the extraordinary opportunity to create a portrait of a notable living American for the museum's permanent collection. Second- and third-place winners also receive cash prizes.
This year's finalists include David Antonio Cruz, Kameron Neal, and Jared Soares, with the winner's announcement originally planned to coincide with the exhibition opening. The competition has previously recognized several prominent artists who have gone on to achieve national recognition. Notable past winners include Amy Sherald, who gained widespread acclaim as a presidential portraitist and became the first woman and first African-American to win the award in 2016, and Hugo Crosthwaite, an illustrator who became the first Latino to claim the prize in 2019.
Interestingly, works by both Sherald and Crosthwaite became targets of criticism from the Trump administration in a White House memo issued this summer, highlighting the intersection of politics and cultural institutions. The current situation reflects broader tensions between the federal government and arts organizations that have been building over recent months.
Participating artist Edra Soto emphasized the critical importance of such exhibitions to the artistic community in a statement to Hyperallergic. "Exhibitions like the one at the National Portrait Gallery are essential for the artistic ecosystem," Soto said. "Their democratic and open call approach remains one of the most respected ways to present art. The postponed or temporary closure of the exhibition further highlights our current fragile state."
The shutdown's impact extends beyond individual exhibitions, affecting the broader cultural landscape as Republican-backed measures have failed in the Senate for the seventh consecutive time. As the funding crisis continues, cultural institutions nationwide face uncertainty about their ability to serve the public and support the arts community, underscoring the vulnerable position of federally funded cultural programs during political disputes.
