portrait of Donald Trump donated by the White House will hang temporarily on a wall in the Colorado Capitol, replacing a painting commissioned during his first term in office that he called 鈥渢ruly the worst鈥� and 鈥減urposefully distorted.鈥�
The decision was made unilaterally Thursday by former state Sen. Lois Court, a Denver Democrat and chair of the Colorado Capitol Building Advisory Committee. The panel oversees historic preservation at the Colorado Capitol.
The donated painting was created by Vanessa Horabuena of Tempe, Arizona. It appears to be a painting of Trump鈥檚 official photograph.
鈥淚t is currently being framed,鈥� Court said Thursday of the White House painting.
Court said her decision was made in consultation with the two elected members of the committee 鈥� Sen. Matt Ball, D-Denver, and Rep. William Lindstedt, D-Broomfield. But the committee didn鈥檛 vote on the decision. Court simply announced it.
Court didn鈥檛 say for how long the donated portrait would be displayed, but the Colorado Capitol Building Advisory Committee is set to revisit the issue in September.
鈥淚n due time, we will have a thorough discussion about all the presidential portraits,鈥� she said.
The Capitol Building Advisory Committee had been discussing hanging in the building鈥檚 third-floor rotunda with paintings of the state鈥檚 former governors. The idea was floated at the panel鈥檚 meeting last month in response to the controversy earlier this year that followed Trump鈥檚 about how he looked in his Colorado Capitol portrait.
The painting to the president鈥檚 griping and there鈥檚 currently an awkward blank space in the rotunda above a placard marking Trump鈥檚 White House terms.
The original portrait, unveiled in August 2019, by donors after Republicans launched a fundraising campaign. It was painted by Sarah Boardman, who said Trump鈥檚 complaints 鈥� which began in March 鈥� have damaged her career.
Boardman said the situation is 鈥� of over 41 years, which now is in danger of not recovering.鈥�