Josephine Livingstone and Lovia Gyarkye of the "New Republic" argued "Open Casket" is a form of cultural appropriation disrespectful toward Mobley's intention for the images of her son. Describing how the painting undermines the photograph they wrote, "Mobley wanted those photographs to bear witness to the racist brutality inflicted on her son; instead Schutz has disrespected that act of dignity, by defacing them with her own creative way of seeing." Scholar Christina Sharpe, one of 34 other signers of Black's letter, argued for the destruction of the painting so that neither the artist nor future owners of the painting could profit off it. Schutz's work reportedly goes for up to $482,500 at auction, but the controversy made Schutz take the work out of circulation after the Biennial. Schutz says that "The painting was never for sale, and I didn't feel like it was appropriate for it to circulate in the marketplace." In addition, her former dealer, Zach Feuer told her she should take the piece out of the Biennial.