By April Ryan
BlackPressUSA
The bronze bust of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which has been in the White House since the second term of the Bill Clinton administration, has been moved out of the Oval Office. A senior White House official says the bust now sits in President Donald Trump’s private dining room, just off the Oval Office.
When asked for proof of the position of the art, the official said they did not take pictures inside the private residential areas of the White House or West Wing.
Previously, the Biden and Obama administrations prominently placed the famous bust next to the fireplace in the Oval Office. The sculpture was frequently captured in videos and pictures during meetings with those presidents and other leaders.
This bust is just one of many pieces of artwork around 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., which is not only the president’s home but also a living museum. The bust was created by African-American artist Charles Alston in 1970, two years after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It was the first image of an African American on public display at the White House.
The bust has been on a long-term loan from the Smithsonian since 2000, and has resided in various areas of the White House, from the library on the lower floor to the Oval Office in the West Wing. The King bust has never been positioned on the State Floor of the White House because the civil rights leader was a civilian.