Controversial Capitol painting by former St. Louis student taken down; Clay promises appeal

WASHINGTON • The controversial painting “Untitled #1” was removed early Tuesday from a Capitol wall and now hangs in the congressional office of Rep. William Lacy Clay, who says he will challenge its removal from a prominent passageway.

Clay, D-St. Louis, did not say what, specifically, he planned to do, but he said the Supreme Court has held that art expressions are protected by the First Amendment.

The painting by former St. Louis high school student David Pulphus was removed sometime over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. Rep. Dave Reichert, R-Wash., who petitioned for its removal, said Friday it would be taken down by the Architect of the Capitol’s office, which ultimately determines the art that hangs on the walls of the congressional art competition.

Not only was the painting gone, but the placard describing it was removed, too. That had stayed throughout a controversial 10 days in which the painting was removed and returned to the wall several times.

Former Cardinal Ritter senior Pulphus’ work won Clay’s high school art competition last spring, and the piece hung for six months in a Capitol tunnel passageway with more than 400 other pieces of art before a conservative website took note of it.

Critics said the painting’s depiction of police as piglike animals denigrated law enforcement and that the work provided a false “hands up, don’t shoot” narrative of the shooting death of black teenager Michael Brown by Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson in August 2014.

Supporters, including Clay, said the painting was a First Amendment-protected expression of the experiences of a young black man who grew up amid high-profile cases of black men killed by police.

Several Republican members of Congress removed the painting and returned it to Clay’s office, who then rehung it in the tunnel every time.

In a statement, Clay called the Architect of the Capitol’s decision to remove the painting “unprecedented and unconstitutional.”

Reichert’s office said the architect cited rules of the contest that require winners of congressional art competition to avoid controversial, contemporary political issues. The House of Representatives is largely on hiatus this week in preparation for President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Friday.

Clay’s statement, issued by his office in St. Louis, said the removal of the painting has “sent a chilling message to young Americans that their voices are not respected, their views are not valued, and their freedom of expression is no longer protected in the U.S. Capitol.”

Clay’s statement went on: “The assertion that the painting did not comply with the rules of the Congressional Art Competition is arbitrary and insulting. Like the other 400-plus entries, this painting was accepted and approved by the Congressional Art Competition last spring, and it has been peacefully displayed in a public forum for more than six months.”
Resource: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/controversial-capitol-painting-by-former-st-louis-student-taken-down/article_5be72f3a-5a97-5eb0-9620-853fae415e7b.html