DHS is posting Americana paintings and migrant mugshots. The art world is not happy.
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'Like many of you, we were deeply troubled to see this image used to promote division and xenophobia associated with the ideals of DHS, as this is antithetical to our mission,' the foundation said in a statement it posted online. 'We stand firmly with our communities who have been threatened and targeted by DHS.'
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The painting was one of three that DHS posted on social media in July, depicting idealized images of American life. The others include 19th-century painter John Gast's controversial 'American Progress' and contemporary artist Morgan Weistling's 'A Prayer for a New Life.' Weistling, the only of the artists still alive, has also spoken out against DHS's use of his painting.
The images, bookended by posts cheering the administration's deportation campaign, have been widely shared by conservatives and sparked alarm among the artists, their families, and some historians, who see their use as part of an effort to rewrite the past with an exclusionary view of American history.
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'There's one side that's being presented as irredeemable criminals with no shade of gray allowed in, so people shouldn't have any reservation about the treatment of these people or use of very punitive measures because it's a caricature,' said Natalia Banulescu-Bogdan, deputy director of the international program at the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute. 'Then, on the other side, here are the heroes.'
Tricia McLaughlin, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, said the agency is honoring artwork that 'celebrates America's heritage and history.'
'If the media needs a history lesson on the brave men and women who blazed the trails and forged this republic from the sweat of their brow, we are happy to send them a history textbook,' she added. 'This administration is unapologetically proud of American history and American heritage.'
As of Tuesday morning, the Gast post had 16.7 million views on X, the Weistling post had 19.3 million views, and the Kinkade post had 16.8 million views. The paintings have been shared by far-right activist Jack Posobiec; right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson; former GOP representatives Matt Gaetz (Florida), Madison Cawthorn (North Carolina), and Mayra Flores (Texas); the Nevada GOP; and others.
'Beautiful,' Johnson wrote as he shared the Kinkade post.
The use of the paintings in official government communications comes amid a broader effort by the Trump administration to reshape the country's arts and cultural landscape. That has included a major overhaul of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, drastic cuts at the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, and a March executive order to 'restore the Smithsonian Institution to its rightful place as a symbol of inspiration and American greatness.'
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DHS's social media feed is showcasing work by American artists — while also sending chilling and at times mocking messages to undocumented immigrants.
The agency recently posted a meme of a skeleton lifting a barbell with the message: 'My body is a machine that turns ICE funding into mass deportations.' The account also posted an image of alligators wearing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement hats with the caption 'Coming soon,' as it teased the arrival of 'Alligator Alcatraz,' the detention facility Governor Ron DeSantis, Republican of Florida, ordered constructed in the Everglades.
DHS posted Kinkade's 'Morning Pledge' on July 1. Much of Kinkade's work is centered around themes of home, family, and religion, and it has appealed to and been associated with conservative values.
But the Kinkade Family Foundation, which preserves and promotes the painter's archives and charitable giving, said it did not authorize the use of his artwork and sent a cease-and-desist letter to DHS after learning it had used the image.
A spokesperson for the artist's foundation said Kinkade's intent with the painting was to express his desire for a place where 'basic human rights are granted regardless of where we come from or who we may be.' Online, the organization shared a message stating its support for those targeted by DHS, 'especially our immigrant, BIPOC, undocumented, LGBTQ+, and disabled relatives and neighbors.'
The foundation said it made multiple attempts to reach out to the agency, which still had not responded as of Monday. DHS did not respond to the Kinkade family's complaints in its statement to The Post.
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Two weeks after sharing that painting, DHS posted one by Weistling depicting a couple holding a baby with a wagon in the background, along with the caption 'Remember your Homeland's Heritage.' The agency said the painting was titled 'New Life in a New Land,' though its actual name is 'A Prayer for a New Life.' Weistling's website said the 2020 painting portrays two parents praying to God for the baby's 'fragile life on their perilous journey.'
Weistling did not respond to an interview request. But on his official website, he posted: 'Attention: The recent DHS post on social media using a painting of mine that I painted a few years ago was used without my permission.'
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