This big exhibition starts with Francis Bacon, who painted from photographs, hung next to Lucian Freud, who didn’t. Sure, they could have just concentrated on painters whose work has a tight, necessary relationship with photography. You could literally whack in anything made in the twentieth century and say ‘see? This was made while cameras were a thing’. The problem with doing an exhibition about art in the age of photography is that all art for over 150 years has been made in the age of photography. They’ve also tackled the gender debate in a much more pro-active way than most art galleries, with their solo displays split 50-50 between male and female artists.Īlong with their permanent collection (featuring big names including Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Barbara Hepworth), Tate Modern’s blockbuster temporary exhibitions never fail to pull in the crowds.
Their international focus means their collection of over 800 works are by artists hailing from over 50 different countries. The Switch House gave Tate Modern an additional 60% of space, and they’ve used it wisely. Like the rest of Tate Modern, it’s well worth having a gander at its super-stylish outside - but for the real treats, you need to head indoors. The twisted pyramid-like structure marked the most significant new opening of a cultural institution since the British Library on Euston Road. This started with the opening of the Tanks in 2012, and ended with the brand-new Switch House extension in 2016. It was converted by Herzog & de Meuron, who returned to oversee a massive extension project. The imposing structure on the banks of the Thames was designed after WWII by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the same architect behind Battersea Power Station. The gallery opened in 2000, making use of the old Bankside Power Station. Tate Modern is one of four Tate venues in the UK, and it welcomes a stonking 5 million visitors through its doors each year.
It’s hard to imagine how empty London’s modern art scene must have been before this place opened, but we’re sure glad it did. As well as having an international collection of modern and contemporary artworks that few can beat, it's a historic piece of architecture worth visiting in its own right. The Tate Modern is one of London - and the world’s - most iconic art galleries.
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