The future of a restaurant at Tate Britain that features a controversial mural is in doubt after a report by the organisation’s own ethics committee said it was “unequivocally … offensive”. The floor-to-ceiling mural, titled The Expedition in Pursuit of Rare Meats, has been at the heart of a debate about art that contains racist imagery. It is on the walls of the Rex Whistler restaurant, which bears the name of the painter of the work. Newly released meeting minutes show that the chair of the Tate’s ethics committee told the gallery’s board the group was “unequivocal in their view that the imagery of the work is offensive”. The mural tells the story of an imagined hunting expedition involving the Duke of Epicurania and was commissioned by the Tate director Charles Aitken for the opening of the restaurant in 1927. The offensive imagery includes a depiction of enslaved black children who are being led on a leash after being “captured” to help with the expedition, as well as caricatures of Chinese characters. The minutes add that the ethics group, which included the artist John Akomfrah, said “the offence is compounded by the use of the room as a restaurant”. It was also pointed out that “the mural is a work of art in the care of trustees and that it should not be altered or removed”. The Art Newspaper, which first reported on the development, speculated that the committee’s verdict would lead to the Rex Whistler being permanently closed, rather than reopening in autumn 2021 along with the Tate’s other restaurants. The mural was restored in 2013 as part of a revamp costing £45m, and moving it would be a difficult task given that it is part of the building’s Grade I listed interior. The closure of the restaurant would be another significant financial blow for the Tate, which is reeling from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and has just announced its second round of redundancies. A Tate spokesperson would not confirm whether the restaurant would be moved or closed, but said a review – with external and internal input – would take place, and that a decision was expected before any reopening. In August, the Guardian revealed that Tate Britain had removed a reference to the Rex Whistler restaurant as “the most amusing room in Europe” after complaints about the mural, and a petition for its removal gained traction. The decision over the mural has been complicated by Tate’s own commitment to anti-racism, which it pledged in the summer after the Black Lives Matter movement began. The pledge has added increasing pressure, especially as it has been alleged that concerns about the mural were first raised in 2013 after its renovation. “The fine dining restaurants at Tate Modern and Tate Britain both remain closed until at least autumn 2021,” a Tate statement read. “As reported in the summer, we are taking this time to consult internally and externally on the future of the room and the mural, and we will keep the public informed of future plans.” The external consultation is expected to be launched early in the new year.