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Tate Britain

Coordinates:51°29′27″N0°07′38″W/ 51.490833°N 0.127222°W/51.490833; -0.127222
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Tate Britain
Tate Britain is located in Central London
Tate Britain
Location within Central London
Established1897;127 years ago(1897)
LocationMillbank
London,SW1
Coordinates51°29′27″N0°07′38″W/ 51.490833°N 0.127222°W/51.490833; -0.127222
Visitors525,144 (2021)[1]
DirectorAlex Farquharson[2]
Public transit accessLondon UndergroundPimlico
Websitetate.org.uk
Tate

Tate Britain,known from 1897 to 1932 as theNational Gallery of British Artand from 1932 to 2000 as theTate Gallery,is an art museum onMillbankin theCity of Westminsterin London, England.[3]It is part of theTatenetwork of galleries in England, withTate Modern,Tate LiverpoolandTate St Ives.Founded by SirHenry Tate,it houses a substantial collection of theart of the United Kingdomsince Tudor times, and in particular has large holdings of the works ofJ. M. W. Turner,who bequeathed all his own collection to the nation. It is one of thelargestmuseums in the country. The museum had 525,144 visitors in 2021, an increase of 34 percent from 2020 but still well below pre-COVID-19 pandemiclevels. In 2021 it ranked 50th on thelist of most-visited art museumsin the world.[4]

History

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The gallery is onMillbank,on the site of the formerMillbank Prison.Construction, undertaken byHiggs and Hill,[5]commenced in 1893, and the gallery opened on 21 July 1897 as the National Gallery of British Art. However, from the start it was commonly known as the Tate Gallery, after its founderSir Henry Tate,and in 1932 it officially adopted that name.[6]Before 2000, the gallery housed and displayed both British and modern collections, but the launch ofTate Modernsaw Tate's modern collections move there, while the old Millbank gallery became dedicated to the display of historical and contemporaryBritish art.As a consequence, it was renamed Tate Britain in March 2000.

The front part of the building was designed bySidney R. J. Smithwith a classicalporticoanddomebehind, and the central sculpture gallery was designed byJohn Russell Pope.Tate Britain includes the Clore Gallery of 1987, designed byJames Stirling,which houses work byJ. M. W. Turner.The Clore Gallery has been regarded as an important example ofPostmodern architecture,especially in the use of contextual irony: each section of the external facade quotes liberally from the building next to it in regard to materials and detailing.[7]

Clore Gallery, designed byJames Stirling(1987).

Crises during its existence include flood damage to artworks from theRiver Thames spilling its banks,and bomb damage during World War II. However, most of the collection was in safe storage elsewhere during the war, and a largeStanley Spencerpainting, deemed too big to move, had a protective brick wall built in front of it.[citation needed]In anticipation of the threat to London, more than 700 artworks were secretly transported toMuncaster Castlein Cumbria on 24 August 1939.[8]

In 1970, the building was givenGrade II*listed status.[9]

In 2012, Tate Britain announced that it had raised the £45 million[10]required to complete a major renovation, largely thanks to a £4.9 million grant from theHeritage Lottery Fundand £1 million given by Tate Members.[11]The museum stayed open throughout the three phases[12]of renovation.[10]Completed in 2013, the newly designed sections were conceived by the architectsCaruso St Johnand included a total of nine new galleries, with reinforced flooring to accommodate heavy sculptures. A second part was unveiled later that year, the centrepiece being the reopening of the building's Thames-facing entrance as well as a new spiral staircase beneath its rotunda.[12]The circular balcony of the rotunda's domed atrium, closed to visitors since the 1920s, was reopened. The gallery also now has a dedicated schools' entrance and reception beneath its entrance steps on Millbank and a new archive gallery for the presentation of temporary displays.[13]

Facilities

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Millbank Millennium Pieroutside Tate Britain, which is linked by a river bus toTate Modern

The front entrance is accessible by steps. A side entrance at a lower level has a ramp for wheelchair access. The gallery provides a restaurant and a café, as well as a Friends room, open only to members of the Tate. This membership is open to the public on payment of an annual subscription. As well as administration offices the building complex houses the Prints and Drawings Rooms (in the Clore galleries),[14]as well as the Library[15]and Archive[16]in the Hyman Kreitman Reading Rooms.[17]The restaurant features a mural byRex Whistler,The Expedition in Pursuit of Rare Meats.Protests over the depiction of the enslavement of Black children and the stereotyping of Chinese figures in the mural has led to the closure of the restaurant.[18]

Tate Britain and Tate Modern are now connected by a river bus along theRiver Thames,which runs fromMillbank Millennium Pierimmediately outside Tate Britain. The boat is decorated with spots, based on paintings of similar appearance byDamien Hirst.The lighting artwork incorporated in the pier's structure is byAngela Bulloch.[19]

Displays

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The main display spaces show the permanent collection of historic British art, as well as contemporary work. It has rooms dedicated to works by one artist, such as:Tracey Emin,John Latham,Douglas Gordon,Sam Taylor-Wood,Tacita Dean,and Marcus Gheeraerts II, though these works, like the rest of the collection, are subject to rotation.

The gallery also organises career retrospectives of British artists and temporary major exhibitions of British Art. Every three years the gallery stages a Triennial exhibition in which a guest curator provides an overview of contemporary British Art. The 2003 Tate Triennial was calledDays Like These.[20]Art Nowis a small changing show of a contemporary artist's work in a dedicated room.

Tate Britain is the home of the annual and usually controversialTurner Prizeexhibition, featuring four artists selected by a jury chaired by the director of Tate Britain. This is spread out over the year with the four nominees announced in May, the show of their work opened in October and the prize itself given in December. Each stage of the prize generates media coverage, and there have also been a number of demonstrations against the prize, notably since 2000 anannual picketbyStuckistartists. In recent years the exhibition and award ceremony have taken place at locations other than in Tate Britain: for example, in Liverpool (2007), Derry (2013), Glasgow (2015) and Hull (2017).

Tate Britain has attempted to reach out to a different and younger audience withLate at Tate Britainon the first Friday of every month, with half-price admission to exhibitions, live music and performance art.[21]Other public involvement has included the display of visitors', as opposed to curators', interpretation of certain artworks.

Regular free tours operate on the hour, and at 1:15 pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday short 15-minute talks are given on paintings, artists and artistic styles.[22]

Permanent collection

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Tate Britain is the national gallery of British art from 1500 to the present day. As such, it is the most comprehensive collection of its kind in the world (only theYale Center for British Artcan claim similar expansiveness, but with less depth).[citation needed]More recent artists includeDavid Hockney,Peter BlakeandFrancis Bacon.Works in the permanent Tate collection, which may be on display at Tate Britain include:

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Statue of Millais

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Statue ofJohn Everett MillaisbyThomas Brockat Tate Britain, installed 1905

When thePre-Raphaelitepainter and President of theRoyal Academy,John Everett Millais,died in 1896, the Prince of Wales (later to becomeKing Edward VII) chaired a memorial committee, which commissioned a statue of the artist.[23]The sculpture, byThomas Brock,was installed at the front of the gallery in the garden on the east side in 1905. On 23 November that year,The Pall Mall Gazettecalled it "a breezy statue, representing the man in the characteristic attitude in which we all knew him".[23]

In 1953, Tate Director,Sir Norman Reid,attempted to have it replaced byRodin'sJohn the Baptist,and in 1962 again proposed its removal, calling its presence "positively harmful". His efforts were frustrated by the statue's owner, theMinistry of Works.Ownership was transferred from the Ministry toEnglish Heritagein 1996, and by them in turn to the Tate.[23]In 2000 the statue was removed to the rear of the building.[23]

Controversy

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BP Sponsorship

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Starting in 1990, oil company BP began a sponsorship of Tate Britain, which was to become 'the longest and most consistent sponsorship of any permanent art collection in the UK' according to the Tate itself.[24]Although BP renewed its support in 2011, offering a fresh commitment to last a further decade,[25]the following year BP announced the termination of its support for Tate Britain, blaming the 'extremely challenging business environment'.[26]Although the company denied that the decision was influenced by climate change protests, BP's support for Tate Britain had drawn the attention of activists to the gallery. In 2015, a collective calledLiberate Tatehad occupied part of Tate Britain and attributed BP's move to climate activism, which has since become a focus of academic study.[27]

Transport connections

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Service Station/Stop Lines/Routes served Distance
from Tate Britain
London BusesLondon Buses Tate BritainDisabled access 87
London UndergroundLondon Underground Pimlico Victoria line 0.4-mile walk[28]
National RailNational Rail Vauxhall South Western Railway 0.5-mile walk[29]
London River Services Millbank Millennium PierDisabled access Tate to Tate 0.2-mile walk[30]

See also

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Notes and references

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  1. ^"The Art Newspaperlist of most-visited art museumsin 2020, March 28,2022
  2. ^Press Release: New Director of Tate Britain Appointed,Tate online, 29 July 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  3. ^Tate."History of Tate".Tate.Retrieved30 July2021.
  4. ^The Art Newspaper,28 March, 2022
  5. ^'General introduction', Survey of London: volume 26: Lambeth: Southern area (1956), pp. 1–17.Date accessed: 27 March 2010.
  6. ^Tate:History of Tate – The gallery at Millbank, LondonLinked 15 May 2013
  7. ^"British Architecture",Architectural Design,London, 1982, p.78.
  8. ^"Muncaster Castle's secret wartime art mission".BBC News.22 February 2024.Retrieved24 February2024.
  9. ^Historic England."Tate Gallery (1222913)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved31 August2016.
  10. ^abSulcas, Roslyn (18 November 2013)."Tate Britain Completes Renovation".New York Times.Retrieved19 November2013.
  11. ^"Tate Britain hits £45m renovation target".BBC News.17 May 2012.Retrieved19 November2013.
  12. ^abMerrick, Jay (18 November 2013)."Tate Britain's redesign: It may not be cool but it's restrained, and elegant, and it works".The Independent.Archivedfrom the original on 26 May 2022.Retrieved19 November2013.
  13. ^"'Transformed' Tate Britain unveiled ".BBC News.18 November 2013.Retrieved19 November2013.
  14. ^"Prints and Drawings Rooms".Tate.Retrieved15 August2010.
  15. ^"Research services: library",Tate online.
  16. ^"Research services:archive",Tate online.
  17. ^"Research services: Hyman Kreitman Reading Rooms",Tate online.
  18. ^Lanre Bakare (7 December 2020)."Future of Tate Britain's 'offensive' Rex Whistler mural under review".The Guardian.Retrieved7 December2020.
  19. ^"Millbank Pier web site".Millbankpier.co.uk. 22 May 2003.Retrieved15 August2010.
  20. ^"Days Like These",Tate online.
  21. ^"events education",Tate online.
  22. ^Tate BritainArchived9 February 2012 at theWayback Machine,LondonBoard.co.uk, Accessed 8 February 2012.
  23. ^abcdBirchall, Heather."Sir Thomas Brock 1847–1922",Tate online, February 2002. Retrieved 5 April 2008.
  24. ^"BP ends 27-year sponsorship of Tate as falling oil price takes toll".The Financial Times.11 March 2016.Retrieved1 August2024.
  25. ^"Press Release: BP and leading UK cultural institutions extend partnerships with 10 million sponsorship".BP website.18 December 2011.
  26. ^"BP ends 27-year sponsorship of Tate as falling oil price takes toll".The Financial Times.11 March 2016.Retrieved1 August2024.
  27. ^"When Climate Activism Succeeds: The Story Of Liberate Tate – ETHICAL UNICORN".14 January 2021.Retrieved1 August2024.
  28. ^"Walking directions toTate BritainfromPimlico tube station".Google Maps. 1 January 1970.Retrieved15 August2010.
  29. ^"Walking directions toTate BritainfromVauxhall station".Google Maps.Retrieved15 August2010.
  30. ^"Walking directions toTate BritainfromMillbank Millenium Pier".Google Maps.Retrieved8 April2011.
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