Minneapolis Institute of Art declines Kehinde Wiley show after artist is accused of sexual assault

The Minneapolis Institute of Art will not host a traveling Kehinde Wiley exhibition after the artist was publicly accused of sexual assault in late May, as first reported by Hyperallergic.

No public information was available about the exhibition, titled “An Archaeology of Silence,” from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, but the Mia confirmed in a statement that it was being considered for 2025.

“Mia was considering taking the Kehinde Wiley exhibition, but as a result of these unfortunate allegations we will not be proceeding with this presentation,” the statement said. “The museum had not announced its presentation of the exhibition or specific presentation dates.”

Wiley, an internationally acclaimed artist best known for his 2018 portrait of President Barack Obama, has been accused of sexual assault by four men.

The first accusation appeared in a statement published on Instagram on May 19 by Ghanaian artist Joseph Awuah-Darko. In it, Awuah-Darko alleges that Wiley twice assaulted him during an event in Ghana in 2021.

Wiley, who is an American artist of Nigerian descent, had been at a dinner held in his honor by Ghana’s Creative Art Council.

Awuah-Darko said that in the first assault, he was “inappropriately groped.” He said the second assault was “much more severe and violent” but he did not go into details.

Awuah-Darko said that “reporting this assault in a West African country like Ghana (where anti-LGBTQIA+ sentiments are prevalent) would have been problematic at best — dangerous at worst.”

Three other men have since accused Wiley of sexual violence: activist Derrick Ingram, United Kingdom-based artist Nathaniel Lloyd Richards and photographer Terrell Armistead. They have all made statements on Instagram.

Wiley has repeatedly denied the claims.

“It is disappointing that this social media-driven fabrication is distracting from the goal of the tour: shedding light on the inequities Black and Brown people face in our society,” Wiley said in a statement to the Star Tribune.

“These allegations are completely false, raising more questions about their credibility and motivation than there are facts supporting their authenticity.”

He also said on Instagram that Awuah-Darko’s “disturbing allegations are baseless and defamatory.” He said that after flirting throughout the night, the two had a one-time consensual encounter that evening.

Wiley’s post includes text message exchanges and information about what he said marked “the beginning of years of Joseph aggressively pursuing a relationship with me.”

Mia owns the Kehinde Wiley painting “Santos Dumont – The Father of Aviation II,” 2009 and said it was removed from view six months ago before the accusations were made.

Walker Art Center owns a Wiley work titled “Untitled” from the series “Passing/Posing,” 2003. The painting is not on view.

The Pérez Art Museum Miami in Florida and the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha also have canceled or postponed upcoming Wiley exhibitions.