A controversial "Blue Lives Matter" flag hangs above a contested student painting depicting two police officers with animal heads pointing guns at black citizens, | M. Scott Mahaskey/POLITICO Capitol officials rule Ferguson painting will be removed

The architect of the U.S. Capitol has determined that a controversial painting hung by a Missouri congressman violates standards adopted by House officials and will be removed on Tuesday.

The decision is likely to inflame a tense dynamic that has pitted members of the Congressional Black Caucus against GOP lawmakers, who have been clamoring to remove the painting by a high school student from the district that includes Ferguson, which highlighted the racial tension that erupted between police and citizens after the death of Michael Brown.


The canvas depicts two police officers with animal heads pointing guns at black citizens, one of whom is depicted as a wolf. A sign in the background reads "racism kills." It was selected by the district’s congressman, Rep. Lacy Clay, to hang as part of a competition that displays art projects in the Capitol.

Critics of the painting said the officers were depicted as pigs, which sparked outrage among Republican lawmakers and some police groups. Supporters said it was an example of free expression that deserved to be displayed. The dispute led to a bizarre back-and-forth as GOP lawmakers unilaterally ripped the painting from the wall and returned it to Clay’s office, only to have Clay and his allies rehang it alongside other paintings selected in the competition.

Late Friday, it appeared Republicans had won the dispute on a technicality. Rep. David Reichert (R-Wash.) had complained to the Capitol architect that the painting violated standards set by the House Office Buildings Commission – a small panel of House leaders – that prohibit artwork depicting “contemporary political controversies.” A spokeswoman for Reichert said House Speaker Paul Ryan’s office informed them late Friday that the architect of the Capitol had reviewed his complaint and agreed the painting violated House standards. Reichert cheered the decision.

“This painting hung in clear defiance to those rules and was a slap in the face to the countless men and women who put their lives on the line everyday on behalf of our safety and freedom,” he said in a statement. “Tragically, we have seen that the growing divide between law enforcement and the communities they serve can prove fatal. For the sake of those who wear the badge and the security of our families, we must work on addressing those tensions by listening to one another, rather than acting in ways that further deteriorate the relationships that are so critical to our safety.”

Clay’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesman said Clay “will have much to say” about the latest development on Tuesday.

The controversy exploded last week when Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) decided to remove the painting and return it to Clay’s office. A stunned Clay rehung it only to see it removed a second and then a third time by additional GOP lawmakers. CBC members joined in his frustration, with chairman Cedric Richmond exclaiming “We may just have to kick somebody’s ass” over the unfolding dispute.

The painting was the subject of discussion at a House GOP conference meeting early in the week, when Ryan assured members he favored removing the painting and that the House Office Buildings Commission – on which he, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi sit – would overrule the architect if he had decided to allow the painting to remain.