Is it permissible to pray in a room that contains pictures?

The preponderant view is that praying in a place that contains hanging pictures of animate beings is impermissible, and this is for several reasons, among them: that angels do not enter a house in which there are images, and that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, tore down a curtain that had statues on it and said: "The people who will be most severely punished on the Day of Resurrection are those who imitate Allah's creation." Also, Gabriel, peace be upon him, did not enter the Prophet's house due to the presence of statues and a dog in it.

Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah was asked about praying in synagogues and churches where there are images, and he replied that they are not houses of Allah, but rather houses where Allah is disbelieved in, and that they are houses of worship for disbelievers. He mentioned that there are three opinions regarding praying in them: absolute prohibition, absolute permission, and the correct view is that if they contain images, one should not pray in them, because angels do not enter a house in which there are images, and because the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, did not enter the Kaaba until what was in it of images was removed. However, if they do not contain images, then the Companions used to pray in churches.