In the context of The Expedition in Pursuit of Rare Meats, discuss the 2020 petition and review of the Reception.
In 2020, The White Pube, a duo of art critics, began a campaign against the mural on Instagram. A petition by the duo read: "The fundamental point of a high class restaurant (used primarily by an older white demographic) being installed with art of this horrific nature is not being acknowledged as the harmful and hateful issue it is" and that The Expedition in Pursuit of Rare Meats "sounds more like a concept for a horror film than what you would expect Britain's largest art institution to offer up as an exclusive dining experience...Tate Britain allowing this overtly racist painting to remain for diners' enjoyment is not acceptable". The Tate stated in response: "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". The work was reviewed by an ethics committee which reported to the board of the Tate galleries in September 2020. The committee was headed by the Canadian postal executive Moya Greene. The committee reported that they were "unequivocal in their view that the imagery of the work is offensive" and that the offence was "compounded by the use of the room as a restaurant"; however, they stated that the work "should not be altered or removed" and that it is in the care of the Tate's trustees. The mural is part of the fabric of the Grade II* listed building and so cannot be easily resited. The room displaying the mural was closed as a restaurant in 2020.The Tate removed a description from its website that had described the restaurant as "the most amusing room in Europe" and wrote that "Whistler's treatment of non-white figures reduces them to stereotypes" and that the gallery was "working to become a space that is more relevant, welcoming and inclusive for everyone".Martin Bailey wrote in The Art Newspaper that "Tate now faces a dilemma. As an art gallery, it can hardly cover the offending figures with a screen and it has a responsibility to allow public access to a work by an important early 20th-century British painter". The future visibility of the room will have to be determined, either by appointment or on a limited or permanent basis to visitors. A permanent security presence will also be required. The notoriety of the mural is also likely to attract many future visitors and thus increase the visibility of the offensive depictions. Bailey wrote that by "drawing attention to the two black children and the Chinese figures the overwhelming number of visitors will go to see the mural simply because of the controversy. They will focus on the offensive passages rather than engage with it as a work of art—and many more people are likely to view the inappropriate figures than a few years ago".In February 2022 The Tate announced that the former restaurant would reopen to the public as a display space containing, alongside Whistler's work, "interpretive material" and a site-specific art installation to "critically engage" with the piece.
Instagram The White Pube Tate Tate Britain Tate galleries Grade II* listed Moya Greene The Art Newspaper