If you haven’t secured tickets to the Amy Sherald: American Sublime exhibit at the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA), you might want to consider making arrangements to catch it at its upcoming location.
According to the museum’s official site, “Tickets for Amy Sherald: American Sublime are currently sold out.”
Since its debut on November 2 in the museum’s Contemporary Wing, this highly anticipated exhibit has been available to the public only through advance ticketing. It will remain on display in Baltimore until April 5.
As of January 20, the exhibit has already set an attendance record for the BMA, attracting a remarkable 52,597 visitors or ticket purchases. Before this record-breaking event, the previous exhibit with the highest attendance since 2000 was the Matisse/Diebenkorn show, which drew approximately 45,700 visitors in 2016 and 2017.
Baltimore serves as the third venue for American Sublime, which showcases a mid-career retrospective of Amy Sherald’s work—she is a notable artist and a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. This exhibit initially launched in the fall of 2024 at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art before traveling to the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York during the spring of 2025. For those interested, ticket prices at BMA are $18 for adults, $16 for seniors, and $10 for students with valid ID. Notably, BMA members, children aged 17 and under, and visitors on Thursday evenings from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. can enjoy free admission, although reservations are still mandatory.
In recent weeks, museum representatives have alerted the public via social media, emphasizing that anyone wishing to attend the exhibit should make reservations promptly due to the high volume of requests. As noted by BMA’s Senior Director of Communications, Anne Brown, the exhibit sold out during both November and December, with January being the only month it remained available.
One of the standout achievements of this exhibit, according to Brown, is how quickly it shattered the museum’s previous attendance records. Normally, attendance tends to surge toward the conclusion of exhibits as visitors rush to secure last-minute tickets, but this time, the interest was palpable from day one. Given the unprecedented demand, officials are optimistic that total attendance may exceed 70,000.
Another remarkable aspect of this attendance milestone is that the exhibit was not originally planned for Baltimore and came together unusually fast. Initially scheduled to launch last September at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., the show was canceled by Sherald due to concerns over censorship. Following this news, the BMA stepped in to host the exhibit in Baltimore, which Sherald graciously accepted.
“This achievement is a notable accomplishment, especially considering that the BMA was not on the original tour schedule for American Sublime,” remarked Rhea Nayyar from Hyperalleric.com, as attendance reached the impressive figure of 63,000 this month.
The BMA’s website highlights that groups of seven or more can make reservations for either guided or self-guided tours. However, when attempting to reserve tickets for self-guided adult groups, visitors are redirected to the notice: “Tickets for Amy Sherald: American Sublime are now sold out.” Adult groups interested in guided tours are prompted to complete an Adult Tour Request Form, with a maximum group size of 30 people for the tour.
“Please be aware that tour slots are limited, and we strive to accommodate all requests,” the BMA website advises. “It may take up to two weeks before you receive a response regarding your tour inquiry.”
After its run in Baltimore concludes, Amy Sherald: American Sublime will proceed to its fourth and final location, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, where it will be accessible from May 15 to September 27. General admission tickets there are free for museum members and priced at $23.50 for those who are not members yet.
