Who is Sarah Boardman, the artist behind Donald Trump's ‘truly worst’ portrait?

US President Donald Trump is outraged over what he calls a “distorted” painting of him displayed in Colorado’s State Capitol.

The painting, created by Colorado-based artist Sarah Boardman, depicts the Republican leader wearing a dark suit and a red tie.

Trump criticised the portrait on his Truth Social platform, describing it as “purposefully distorted” and “truly the worst” portrait ever made of him.

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Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has gifted Trump a new portrait, though it has not yet been revealed to the public.

But who is Sarah Boardman, the artist behind Trump’s portrait? And why is the US President unhappy with it?

We will get you the full story.

Explained: Who is Sarah Boardman?

1. Sarah Boardman is a British-born artist based in Colorado Springs who painted Donald Trump’s presidential portrait, which was placed in Colorado’s State Capitol in 2019.

2. The 63-year-old painter studied art in Germany in 1985, training as an apprentice under an Alt Meister. She learned techniques used by Old Master Painters, artists from the 13th to early 19th centuries, who focused on classical traditions, realism, and intricate details, often in portraiture.

3. According to her bio, she is committed to portraying an individual’s “personality, character and soul” through her artwork.

4. “Sarah has always been passionate about painting portraits, being particularly intrigued by the depth and character found deeper in her subjects,” her bio read.

5. “Sarah believes that the ultimate challenge is to capture the ‘personality, character and soul’ of an individual in a two-dimensional format. She uses a combination of realism and painterly aspects designed to draw the viewer [a] into piece,” it added.

6. She has established a reputation for painting historical portraits of political figures. Her past work includes five presidential portraits, among them one of former US President Barack Obama, which Trump said “looks wonderful”.

7. Boardman was first commissioned to paint Barack Obama’s portrait for Colorado’s State Capitol after winning the nationwide “Call for Artists” competition organised by Denver State. This opportunity came up after the death of Lawrence Williams in 2003, who had painted all 43 previous presidential portraits, according to Newsweek.

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Why is Trump criticising the painting?

Donald Trump took to Truth Social to express his disapproval of the portrait of him that was displayed in Colorado’s State Capitol until its removal on Monday.

“Nobody likes a bad picture or painting of themselves, but the one in Colorado, in the State Capitol, put up by the Governor, along with all other Presidents, was purposefully distorted to a level that even I, perhaps, have never seen before,” Trump wrote in a post.

He continued, “The artist also did President Obama, and he looks wonderful, but the one on me is truly the worst. She must have lost her talent as she got older. In any event, I would much prefer not having a picture than having this one.”

Trump alleged that several people in Colorado had reached out to complain, sharing a photograph of the painting, which appears to give him a softer appearance.

“In any event, I would much prefer not having a picture than having this one, but many people from Colorado have called and written to complain. In fact, they are actually angry about it!” he wrote.

In the same post, he criticised Colorado’s Democratic Governor Jared Polis, calling him “extremely weak on Crime,” and said that the artist “must have lost her talent as she got older.”

Polis’ office responded by saying it was “surprised” by Trump’s remarks and added that they are “always looking for any opportunity to improve our visitor experience.”

What Sarah Boardman said on the criticism

The Colorado-based artist is yet to respond to the US President’s remarks.

However, when the portrait was commissioned in 2018, she described it as portraying Trump with a “serious, thoughtful, non-confrontational” expression.

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During the commissioning process, Boardman presented the Capitol building advisory committee with two sketches and four photographs as possible references for the painting. The committee chose her preferred option, rejecting an image where Trump appeared “marginally less confident.”

In 2019, a Colorado Pols journalist asked her whether her “personal feelings about Trump” had changed after working on his portrait.

She replied, “Not at all – when I start to paint a portrait, it is the portrait, likeness, and ‘essence’ of the subject which I strive to portray. Any personal feelings about any subject are not relevant and are left outside the studio per my training to ‘leave those emotions at the door.’”

Boardman was also asked how she would respond to those who objected to Trump’s portrait being displayed.

She stated that while she respected differing opinions, she believed all presidents were entitled to have their portraits in the Rotunda, as it is the “Gallery of Presidents.”

“Being president is the qualification for entry into the gallery, and I respect that qualification on face value as I did with the portrait of President Obama,” she said.

With inputs from agencies