I assumed (without reading the article) that was used as an example of what was removed.
Hmmm ... but no. Catlin is one of the artists the Obama's wanted. See this Washington Post article or this list.
I thought maybe the Telegraph mistakenly thought George Catlin was one of the Native American artists the Obamas wanted, rather than a White painter who depicted Indians, because there's nothing new about Catlin in the White House. See Laura Bush's remarks here.