Why Tate Britain’s Decision to Deal With Its Racist Mural May Lead to Layoffs

Dec 7, 2020

During a year in which institutional reckonings within the art world have come thick and fast, it makes sense that the Tate Britain, one of the four prominent museums in the Tate network in the UK, is facing one of its own. Back in August, a petition drew attention to the artwork adorning the walls of the museum’s restaurant, which is menacingly entitled The Expedition in Pursuit of Rare Meats. The mural, which was commissioned by the Tate Britain’s director in 1927 and completed by the artist Rex Whistler, depicts Black children being chased and ensnared and caricatures of Chinese people. Now, because of the controversy that the mural has generated, The Art Newspaper is reporting that the restaurant is likely to never reopen, even after the pandemic decelerates.

https://observer.com/2020/12/tate-br...al-restaurant/