Still mural with George Washington

After a school board vote, the controversial “Life of Washington” mural, which adorns one of the entrance walls of George Washington High School in San Francisco, will no longer be covered, he wrote. svgat.

The landmark painting — by Russian artist Viktor Arnautov in 1936 that depicts, among other things, first President of the United States George Washington, slaves and Native Americans — has stirred emotion and created controversy for decades. In particular, parents of students at school argued that their children should not see images of slavery on their way to class.

The vote was in response to a court ruling from 2021 that found the school board acted too hastily in 2019 when the original decision to cover it was made and did not properly investigate the environmental consequences of removing or masking the mural.

Viktor Arnautov emigrated from Russia to the United States and became a popular artist. Famous for its mosaics and facades, the art world fears that many of his works may be destroyed in Ukraine after the Russian invasion earlier this year.