A museum in Williamstown, Massachusetts is calling on Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party to take down anti-Islamic and anti-immigration election posters bearing one of its artworks.

The 19th century painting, ‘Slave Market’, held by the Clark Art Institute, depicts a naked white woman being examined by dark-skinned slave traders and has been printed on European election campaign posters by the German right-wing party. A slogan above the striking image says: “So that Europe won’t become ‘Eurabia!’ Europeans vote for AfD.”

Apart from Germany, some of the posters have also been put up in London.

AfD goes Europa.Unser legendäre Plakat geht um die Welt. Englische Kopien des Motives Sklavenmarkt und #Brexit werden in #London plakatiert. pic.twitter.com/cG0SKuSqHs — AfD Berlin (@AfDBerlin) April 28, 2019

Clark Art Institute director Olivier Meslay has demanded the party remove the posters, telling the AP that the museum is “strongly opposed to the use of this work to advance any political agenda.” The museum did not provide the image for the party, he added, and conceded that the painting is in the public domain and the posters do not breach copyright.

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The museum describes the painting as a “disturbing scene” set in a vague location “intended to suggest the Near East” and allowing contemporary French viewers “to censure the practice of slavery, which was outlawed in Europe, while enjoying a look at the female body.”

Critics of the posters claim they are designed to stoke old-fashioned fears about white men having to protect their women from invading darker men. The AfD has refused to remove the posters, calling the museum’s demands an attempt to “gag” the party.

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