The principal function of the Tate Gallery is to represent British painting, but murals are one branch of art which cannot be shown in their original form. This exhibition is in the nature of a reflection and a record of the more important mural paintings carried out in this country since the war.
Photographs are necessarily a substitute for original work. The very inadequacy of photographs may be a virtue, for through them it is possible to show the paintings in relation to their surroundings.
The decorations by eminent artists in St. Stephen’s Hall, Westminster, were the result of a notable instance of public-spirited patronage. One of these, inaugurated by Lord Duveen, gave Rex Whistler the chance of carrying out his vivacious paintings in the Tate Gallery Restaurant, and later sponsored the decoration of Morley College by three artists connected with the Royal College of Art.
