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Libraries, museums and bookstores: Tate

Opening Hours

Tate Britain

Monday to Sunday 10.00–18.00

 

Tate Modern

Monday to Sunday 10.00–18.00

Where is it?

Tate Britain
Millbank
London SW1P 4RG

The closest stations are :

  • Pimlico
  • Vauxhall
  • Victoria
  • Westminster

Tate Modern
Bankside
London SE1 9TG

The closest stations are:

  • Southwark
  • Blackfriars
  • St Pauls
  • London Bridge

About Tate

Tate first opened its doors to the public in 1897. It was then a gallery displaying a small collection of British artworks. It takes its name from Henry Tate, an industrialist who offered his collection of British nineteenth-century art to the nation and provided funding, which helped to build and open the gallery. At the time, the gallery was called the National Gallery of British Art and was situated on Millbank, Pimlico. In 1932, the gallery adopted the name Tate Gallery and was renamed Tate Britain in March 2000. Today, the museum is responsible for the national collection of British art from 1500 to the present day. It has large holdings of the works of J. M. W. Turner, who bequeathed all his own collection to the nation.

In 2000, the Tate Modern was opened by the Queen. It's collection consists of works of international modern and contemporary art dating from 1900 until today. It is housed in Bankside Power Station, a decommissioned electricity generating station which generated electricity from 1891 to 1981. It was almost demolished several times but, in April 1994 the Tate Gallery announced it would be the home for the new Tate Modern. 

 

There are two other Tate Museums in England :

  • Tate Liverpool, as its name indicates, is situated in Liverpool. It is dedicated to showing modern art and encouraging a new, younger audience through an active education programme. It is housed in a warehouse at the Albert Dock and opened in 1988. 
  • Tate St Ives is situated in Cornwall. This gallery exhibits work by modern British artists with links to the St Ives area. It opened in 1993. 

Exhibitions

Sargent and Fashion

Until 7 July
Tate Britain

Celebrated for his striking portrait paintings, this exhibition sheds new light on John Singer Sargent’s acclaimed works. It explores how he worked like a stylist to craft the image of the sitters he painted, who he often had close relationships with. 

Exhibition Page

Now You See Us: Women Artists in Britain 1520-1920

16 May – 13 October 2024

Tate Britain

Spanning 400 years, this exhibition follows women on their journeys to becoming professional artists. From Tudor times to the First World War, artists such as Mary Beale, Angelica Kauffman, Elizabeth Butler and Laura Knight paved a new artistic path for generations of women. The exhibition sheds light on how these artists championed equal access to art training and academy membership, breaking boundaries and overcoming many obstacles to establish what it meant to be a woman in the art world.

Exhibition Page

Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind

Until 1 September 2024

Tate Modern

Spanning more than seven decades, YOKO ONO: MUSIC OF THE MIND is the UK’s largest exhibition celebrating key moments in Ono’s groundbreaking, influential and multidisciplinary career, from the mid-1950s to now – including her years in London where she met her future husband and longtime collaborator John Lennon.

Exhibition Page

Expressionists: 
Kandinsky, Münter and The Blue Rider

Until 20 October 2024

Tate Britain

Explore the groundbreaking work of a circle of friends and close collaborators known as The Blue Rider. In the early 20th century they came together to form, in their own words, ‘a union of various countries to serve one purpose’ – to transform modern art. The artists rallied around Wassily Kandinsky and Gabriele Münter to experiment with colour, sound and light, creating bold and vibrant art.

Exhibition Page