Tate ‘welcomes discussion’ on racist mural

Tate Britian is no longer describing its restaurant as "the most amusing room in Europe" after complaints about racist imagery in a mural there.

The Rex Whistler mural titled The Expedition in Pursuit of Rare Meats depcits the enslavement of a Black child and his mother's distress. The boy is shown chained by his neck to a horse and cart.

A new description from the gallery acknowledges that "Whistler's treatment of non-white figures reduces them to stereotypes".

A Tate spokesperson said: “Tate has been open and transparent about the deeply problematic racist imagery in the Rex Whistler mural. In the context of the mayor of London’s recently announced public realm review, we welcome further discussion about it."

However, the spokesperson said it is "important to acknowledge the presence of offensive and unacceptable content and its relationship to racist and imperialist attitudes in the 1920s and today".

An interpretation text alongside the mural and on its website is part of the gallery's "ongoing work to confront such histories," the spokesperson said.