Kim Sajet, who has led the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery (NPG) for over a decade, has resigned from her director position, weeks after President Donald Trump claimed he fired her for being a “highly partisan person” and a “strong supporter of DEI.”
Sajet’s departure was first announced in an internal memo that Secretary Bunch sent to Smithsonian staff, shared with Hyperallergic. She will be replaced by Kevin Gover, Under Secretary for Museums and Culture at the Smithsonian, who previously led the National Museum of the American Indian.
“This was not an easy decision, but I believe it is the right one,” Sajet said in the memo. “From the very beginning, my guiding principle has been to put the museum first. Today, I believe that stepping aside is the best way to serve the institution I hold so deeply in my heart.”
Sajet’s position appeared briefly safe after the Smithsonian released a statement on Monday, June 9, clarifying that only Secretary Lonnie Bunch, with advice from the Board of Regents, could make personnel changes to preserve the institution’s “nonpartisan stature.” (Vice President JD Vance and conservative Supreme Court Justice John Roberts serve on the board). According to reports, Sajet still showed up to work even after Trump announced her termination on Truth Social.
In the staff memo, Bunch commended Sajet for making “lasting contributions to the institution,” including overseeing the museum’s first dance company in residence; founding the Portrait of a Nation Award, which honored “extraordinary individuals who have made transformative contributions” including Dr. Anthony Fauci and tennis star Serena Williams with their likeness in a special exhibition; and hosting the Portraits podcast.
“She put the needs of the Institution above her own. And for that, we thank her,” Bunch wrote of Sajet.
Sajet’s resignation comes months after Trump issued an executive order that would eliminate “improper, divisive, or anti-American ideology” and “race-centered ideology” from the Smithsonian Institution. Last month, 71 Democrats called for an investigation into the potential impacts of the executive order, which they claimed jeopardizes the institution’s independence. The Smithsonian is not a federal agency like the National Endowment for the Arts. It is a separate “trust instrumentality” of the United States, receiving approximately 62% of its funding through congressional appropriations.
In an interview with the Washington Post in 2015, during her early tenure, Sajet said she attempted to make the museum more inclusive with initiatives that incorporated Spanish into the institution’s communications and increased the breadth of portrait subjects represented in the collection.
“Together, we have worked to tell a fuller, more American story—one that fosters connection, reflection, and understanding,” Sajet said in her farewell statement.
Hyperallergic has contacted Sajet for comment.