Tate
Tate is the United Kingdom's national network for British art and international modern and contemporary art, comprising four galleries and extensive digital, publishing, research, and education programs.
Last updated October 24, 2026
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Overview
Tate is an internationally recognised British art institution whose network includes Tate Britain and Tate Modern in London, Tate Liverpool, and Tate St Ives in Cornwall. It administers and presents the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, together with a major collection of international modern and contemporary art. Tate is also the operating name of the corporate body formally established as the Board of Trustees of the Tate Gallery under the Museums and Galleries Act 1992. It is not a conventional commercial museum company or a government department, although it receives public support and is accountable to the UK government through its trustees and cultural-funding arrangements. The institution began in 1897 as the National Gallery of British Art. Its creation was enabled by the sugar manufacturer and art collector Sir Henry Tate, who offered to fund a new building and donated works from his collection. The original gallery was constructed at Millbank in London, on the site of the former Millbank Prison. It initially focused on British art of the Victorian period and was administered in connection with the National Gallery. In 1932, after the institution's remit expanded to include modern art, it adopted the name Tate Gallery in recognition of Henry Tate's foundational contribution. The gallery became institutionally independent from the National Gallery in 1954. Tate's physical network developed in stages. Tate Liverpool opened in 1988, extending access to the national collection in north-west England and presenting modern and contemporary art on a smaller scale than the London institutions. Tate St Ives opened in 1993 and concentrates on modern and contemporary artists connected with St Ives and Cornwall; Tate also manages the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden in St Ives. In 2000, the former London Tate Gallery was reorganised as Tate, with its collections divided between Tate Britain, devoted principally to British art from the sixteenth century to the present, and Tate Modern, devoted principally to British and international modern and contemporary art from 1900 onward. Tate Modern occupies the former Bankside Power Station on the south bank of the Thames. The organisation operates as more than a group of exhibition venues. Its activities include collection stewardship, conservation, scholarly research, temporary exhibitions, artist commissions, public programs, learning initiatives, membership, philanthropy, publishing, and digital interpretation. Tate Digital, including the tate.org.uk website, provides access to information about the galleries, collection works, research, publications, and online projects. Tate Publishing produces books and related material on art and artists. The Turner Prize, one of the UK's best-known contemporary-art awards, is closely associated with Tate and has periodically been presented outside London. Tate's public profile is supported by a distinctive visual identity introduced in 2000 and updated in 2016. The identity uses variable, sometimes blurred versions of the wordmark to express the idea of looking again while keeping the institution recognisable. Tate is funded through a combination of public support, admissions and exhibition income, memberships, donations, sponsorships, and philanthropic acquisition funds. Its sponsorship relationships and acquisition policies have periodically generated public debate, reflecting the broader ethical and financial pressures faced by major cultural institutions. Tate remains active as a museum, collection, research organisation, publisher, and public cultural brand.
History
Tate originated in the late nineteenth-century movement to establish a national collection devoted specifically to British art. Earlier private gifts to national museums had helped demonstrate the value of such a collection, but a dedicated institution became possible through Sir Henry Tate, a sugar magnate and collector. Tate offered to finance a new gallery building on the condition that the state provide the site and meet ongoing operating costs. He also donated works from his collection. The National Gallery of British Art opened at Millbank in London in 1897. The original collection concentrated on relatively recent British art, especially Victorian painting. The gallery was initially linked administratively to the National Gallery, but its remit and holdings expanded over time. The transfer of the Hugh Lane modern-art collection after Lane's death on the Lusitania in 1915 contributed to the institution's growing international dimension. Major building improvements were supported by patrons including Joseph Duveen, while later gifts and funds helped Tate accommodate the Turner Bequest and other expanding collections. In 1932, the gallery was renamed the Tate Gallery after Henry Tate when its responsibilities broadened to include modern art alongside British art. It finally became separate from the National Gallery in 1954. During the post-war period, Tate developed a more ambitious program of temporary exhibitions, collection research, and public interpretation. Extensions opened in 1979 and 1987, the latter including the Clore Wing for the Turner collection. Tate also increasingly treated exhibitions as a central public activity rather than relying solely on the permanent collection. The institution's reach beyond London began with Tate Liverpool in 1988. Tate St Ives followed in 1993, focusing on modern and contemporary artists associated with Cornwall and the St Ives artistic tradition. The decisive organisational change came in 2000. The Tate Gallery became Tate, a network whose London sites were differentiated by collection focus. Tate Britain retained the historic Millbank building and became the principal home for British art from 1500 to the present. Tate Modern opened in the converted Bankside Power Station and became the main London venue for modern and contemporary art from Britain and around the world. Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives continued to operate as regional museums sharing access to the Tate Collection while developing their own programs. Tate expanded its public and digital presence during the same period. Its website developed into a substantial resource containing collection information, articles, research, educational material, and online exhibitions. The institution also created or supported net-art and other digital-art initiatives. A major expansion at Tate Modern opened in 2016 as the Switch House and was renamed the Blavatnik Building in 2017. The project added galleries and spaces for performance, installation, learning, and social use. Governance is vested in a board of trustees, which appoints the director and oversees the institution's public responsibilities. Tate combines government support with membership, philanthropy, admissions, exhibition income, sponsorship, and acquisition funds. Its public role has sometimes produced controversy, including disputes over controversial artworks, the handling of fraudulent provenance material, deaccessioning rules, corporate sponsorship, and the environmental implications of cultural partnerships. These debates form part of Tate's history as a publicly visible institution balancing national stewardship, artistic experimentation, financial constraints, and public accountability.
- 2017
Expansion renamed the Blavatnik Building
[1]The Tate Modern extension receives its later name in recognition of major support for the project.
- 2016
Tate Modern extension opens
[1]The Switch House expansion opens beside Tate Modern.
- 2000
Tate becomes a four-gallery network
[1]The former Tate Gallery is reorganised as Tate, with Tate Britain and Tate Modern serving distinct collection roles.
- 1998
Tate Online launches
[1]Tate develops its website into a major public-facing digital platform.
- 1993
Tate St Ives opens
[1]A Cornwall gallery opens to present modern and contemporary art linked particularly to the region.
- 1988
Tate Liverpool opens
[1]Tate establishes its first regional gallery outside London in Liverpool.
- 1954
Tate separates from the National Gallery
[1]The Tate Gallery becomes institutionally independent from the National Gallery.
- 1932
Institution renamed Tate Gallery
[1]After expanding its remit to include modern art, the gallery adopts the Tate name.
- 1897
National Gallery of British Art opens
[1]The institution founded with Henry Tate's support opens at Millbank in London as the National Gallery of British Art.
Products and positioning
A leading public art institution combining the United Kingdom's national collection of British art with international modern and contemporary art, while making collections and scholarship accessible through galleries, education, publishing, and digital platforms.
Art museum · 1897
Tate Britain
Tate Britain is Tate's Millbank museum and the principal home of the national collection of British art from the sixteenth century to the present. Its displays cover historical, modern, and contemporary British practice and are complemented by temporary exhibitions, research, learning, and public programs.
Modern and contemporary art museum · 2000
Tate Modern
Tate Modern occupies the former Bankside Power Station in London and presents Tate's collection of international modern and contemporary art, including British art, principally from 1900 onward. Its program includes collection displays, major temporary exhibitions, performance, installation, commissions, and learning activities.
Regional art museum · 1988
Tate Liverpool
Tate Liverpool extends the Tate network into north-west England. It presents modern and contemporary works from the Tate Collection, stages temporary exhibitions, and develops regionally focused public programs.
Regional art museum · 1993
Tate St Ives
Tate St Ives presents modern and contemporary art, with particular attention to artists connected with St Ives and Cornwall. Tate's associated Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden is also located in St Ives.
Digital cultural platform · 1998
Tate Online
Tate Online is the institution's public digital platform, offering information on galleries, artists, collection works, exhibitions, research, publications, learning resources, and selected digital-art projects.
Art publishing
Tate Publishing
Tate's publishing activity produces books and related interpretive material about artists, exhibitions, art history, and the institution's collection.
Controversies
2020
Tate faces protests over commercial-arm job cuts
Tate faced protests over job cuts in its commercial arm. Trade unions and others said the cuts would disproportionately affect Black and minority ethnic staff. A socially distanced demonstration was planned outside Tate Modern as the galleries prepared to reopen.
2012
BP sponsorship protests
Campaigners challenged Tate's acceptance of BP sponsorship, arguing that the relationship helped the oil company improve its public image and conflicted with climate concerns.
2006
Museum accreditation dispute
Tate faced criticism and regulatory pressure after declining accreditation under Museums, Libraries and Archives Council guidelines concerning deaccessioning and related collection practices.
1995
John Drewe archive-access scandal
Tate was reported to have accepted a gift from art fraudster John Drewe and allowed him access to archival material. Drewe used forged documentation connected with institutional records to support fake paintings sold as authentic modern works.
1976
Equivalent VIII controversy
Tate's acquisition of Carl Andre's Equivalent VIII became the subject of intense media criticism over public spending on contemporary art. The work was later vandalised and became popularly known as The Bricks.
Marketing campaigns
- 2016Tate brand identity update
United Kingdom · International
North updated Tate's visual identity in connection with the institution's continuing digital and physical expansion.
Outcome. The flexible identity system was retained while being refreshed for contemporary use.
- 2012Campaigns opposing BP sponsorship
United Kingdom
Climate and arts-activist groups, including Platform London, Art Not Oil, and Liberate Tate, protested Tate's relationship with BP, including during the Cultural Olympiad.
Outcome. BP sponsorship ended in 2017.
- 2000Tate visual identity relaunch
United Kingdom · International
Tate introduced a variable logo system developed by Wolff Olins. Different levels of focus and blur were intended to convey an institution that continually changes while remaining identifiable.
Outcome. The identity became a widely recognised part of Tate's public brand.
Brand decisions
2017
End BP sponsorshipStrategyBackground
Tate faced sustained protests and criticism concerning the ethical and environmental implications of its relationship with BP.
Action taken
The sponsorship relationship with BP ended.
Aftermath
The decision followed years of campaigning and became part of wider debate about corporate sponsorship of public cultural institutions.
2016
Open Tate Modern's Switch HouseGeneration changeBackground
Tate Modern required additional space for its growing collection, performance and installation work, education, and visitor services.
Action taken
Tate opened a major extension adjoining the existing Bankside building.
Aftermath
The extension substantially increased Tate Modern's display and public-program capacity and was later renamed the Blavatnik Building.
Reported project cost. £260 million (Project reported in 2016-2017)
2000
Create the Tate networkStrategyBackground
The original London gallery was becoming too constrained to display both the national British collection and the expanding modern and contemporary collection effectively.
Action taken
Tate reorganised its museums, establishing Tate Britain as the principal British-art venue and Tate Modern as the principal modern and contemporary venue.
Aftermath
The reorganisation created Tate's current network model and enabled the Bankside gallery to become a major international contemporary-art destination.
Recent events
- 2025
Tate announces leadership transition[1]
Leadership change
Tate announced that Maria Balshaw would step down as director in spring 2026, with Jessica Morgan identified as the incoming director from 2027.
- 2016
Tate Modern extension opens[1]
Other
The new building adjoining Tate Modern opened, adding space for collection displays, performance, installation art, learning, and visitor facilities.
- 2007
Tate Liverpool hosts the Turner Prize[1]
Other
Tate Liverpool became the first venue outside London to host the Turner Prize.
Sources3 sources
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