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Tate Modern review 3 Users say 4/5 Rate it
This powerhouse of modern art is awe-inspiring even before you enter, thanks to its industrial architecture. Tate Modern was built as Bankside Power Station and designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, also architect of Battersea Power Station. Shut down in 1981, it opened as an art museum in 2000 and has enjoyed spectacular popularity ever since.
Inside, the original cavernous turbine hall is used to jaw-dropping effect as the home of large-scale, temporary installations. The permanent collection draws from the Tate organisation's collections of modern art (international works from 1900 and on) and features heavy-hitters such as Matisse, Rothko, Bacon, Twombly and Beuys. In 2006, the galleries were completely rehung, with the artworks grouped according to movement (surrealism, minimalism, post-war abstraction) rather than theme. If you don't know where to start, take one of the guided tours.
The Tate-to-Tate boat service - décor courtesy of Damien Hirst - links with Tate Britain and has a well-placed bar on board.
Events at Tate Modern
The Unilever Series: Tacita Dean
'FILM' is a heartfelt billet doux to Dean's chosen medium and specifically to the steady demise of 16mm film stock an...
No Lone Zone
Level 2 exhibition organised in collaboration with Sala de Arte Público Siqueiros, Mexico City. The show takes its ti...
Barbara Hammer: The Fearless Frame
A survey of work by the American experimental filmmaker and pioneer of queer cinema. Screenings take place on Feb 3, ...
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See all restaurants near Tate ModernComments & ratings 4/5 (Average of 3 ratings)
A gallery I will visit when in London on my next visit to restore older buildings in
Cities and have them for the public to see and use should be done more often
Betty Maxey Clark 1/25/12
One art critic described this place as "whatever it is, it's not an art gallery". I agree; it's like a soulless art theme park. Art needs intimacy to work
Always worth a visit for the big exhibition hall and the special shows (which you have to pay for). Great for wandering around on a Sunday down by the South Bank.
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