Modern Tate instigates art history's conventional norms, reshaping the general populace's perception of contemporary art.
Tate Modern's Grand Evolution
Whet your memory with the opening of Tate Modern 25 years ago, where a 30ft-tall spider, Maman by Louise Bourgeois, greeted visitors in the cavernous Turbine Hall. This steel behemoth, exclusive to the Tate (the bronze versions scattered globally), will once again hijack the Turbine Hall for the Birthday Weekender, May 9-12.
Originally a power station since 1891, Bankside took shape under the guidance of renowned architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott - the man behind Battersea Power Station, Liverpool Cathedral, and those cherished red telephone boxes. Tate Modern's location was transformed into the new home for modern and contemporary art from 1994 onwards, thanks to Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron and a £134 million conversion. Theattraction opened to acclaim on May 11, 2000, quite a departure from the printing presses it once serviced back in 1900. Over five million annual visitors (twice the original capacity!) soon flooded the building, leading to the addition of a £260 million extension in the form of a twisting, brick ziggurat in 2016, increasing internal space by 60%.
The site's luxury flat owners weren't too happy, especially those residing in the glassy towers surrounding the gallery. Our platform's former office, the Blue Fin Building, bore witness to the museum's early years in the 2010s.
For the 25th-anniversary celebrations, apart from Maman, expect a trail of 25 key works strategically placed around the building, such as Andy Warhol's Marilyn Diptych, Mark Rothko's 'Seagram' murals, and Dorothea Tanning's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (returning from Paris). Catherine Wood, director of program, insists, "The selection showcases how art - and Tate Modern itself - have always pushed the boundaries and challenged norms, enabling us all to peer at the world through fresh eyes."
Two new exhibitions, 'A Year in Art: 2050' and 'Gathering Ground', will join the Birthday Weekender proceedings. The latter incorporates recent acquisitions by artists such as Outi Pieski, Edgar Calel, and Nalini Malani. Abbas Zahedi, notably, will create a participatory installation for the gathering.
Partnered with clothing brand UNIQLO, the festivities will include free talks, tours, workshops, live music, and special food and drink offerings. Between May 5 and September 16, UNIQLO will operate a personalized-embroidery T-shirt station, adorned with artwork from artists like Bourgeois and Dali.
'Tate Modern has sparked an extraordinary impact in only 25 years. It has exploded the art historical canon, revolutionized the public's relationship with contemporary art, and redrawn the lines for what a museum can be,' says gallery director Karin Hindsbo. 'Our birthday weekend will be an excellent opportunity to witness our best and catch a glimpse of where we're headed next.'
Since its opening, over 40 million people have visited Tate Modern, making it one of the UK's top tourist attractions and contributing around £100 million to London's economy annually.
Get InvolvedJoin us and celebrate the Tate Modern's milestone birthday! Sign up for our platform Newsletter to stay updated on all things Tate Modern. Stay tuned for more on the Birthday Weekender, set to kick off on May 6.
Karin Hindsbo, Gallery DirectorKarin Hindsbo has spent the last ten years leading the Tate Modern. With a passion for modern and contemporary art, she has spearheaded numerous groundbreaking exhibitions and programming initiatives, including the Barnes Wallis Sculpture commission and the July Live summer music festival. Hindsbo earned her bachelor's degree in Art History from Institut Kewir in Denmark and her Master's degree in Curatorial Practice from the California Institute of the Arts.
Annunciata ElwesAnnunciata, a native of Lancashire, now resides in Hampshire with her family and a less-than-pleasant pug named Parsley. She's spent over a decade floating around our platform office, most recently winning the Property Magazine of the Year Award in 2022 (Property Press Awards). Prior to that, she penned various genres for The Sunday Times Travel Magazine, toiled in internal comms for our platform's publisher, and researched for a historical biographer with an affinity for Graham Greene and John Henry Newman. During this time, she adeptly guided tours of 17th-century Milton Manor, Oxfordshire, and co-founded a literary, art, and music festival where Johnny Flynn headlined. When she's not writing and editing for our platform, Annunciata is also a director of TIN MAN ART, a contemporary art gallery launched by her husband, James Elwes, in 2021.
During the 25th-anniversary celebrations at Tate Modern, visitors can enjoy new exhibitions like 'A Year in Art: 2050' and 'Gathering Ground', alongside special food and drink offerings, live music, and workshops. This lifestyle event, partnered with UNIQLO, also includes a trail of key artworks such as Warhol's Marilyn Diptych, Rothko's 'Seagram' murals, and Tanning's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, strategically placed throughout the museum to showcase its role in pushing boundaries on home-and-garden turf.
