Tate facts for kids

The logo of Tate designed by North in 2016

Tate is a group of four art galleries in the United Kingdom. These galleries hold the UK's national collection of British art. They also show modern and contemporary art from all over the world. Tate is not a government group, but it gets most of its money from the UK government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The name "Tate" is also used for the main organization that runs these galleries. This organization was created in 1992.

The first gallery opened in 1897. It was called the National Gallery of British Art. In 1932, its role changed to include modern art. It was then renamed the Tate Gallery. This new name honored Henry Tate, a sugar businessman who helped start the art collection. The original Tate Gallery was in the building now known as Tate Britain in Millbank, London.

In 2000, the Tate Gallery became the Tate we know today. It is now a network of four museums:

• Tate Britain in London shows British art from 1500 to now.
• Tate Modern, also in London, has British and international modern art from 1900 to now.
• Tate Liverpool opened in 1988. It shows modern art, like Tate Modern, but is smaller.
• Tate St Ives in Cornwall opened in 1993. It displays modern art by artists linked to that area.

All four museums share the same large art collection. Tate is also famous for the annual Turner Prize. This award goes to a British visual artist. It happens at Tate Britain every other year.

How Tate Started and Grew

The original Tate Gallery, now called Tate Britain

The first Tate gallery was called the National Gallery of British Art. It was built in Millbank, London, where an old prison used to be. The idea for a national British art gallery came about in the 1820s.

Later, in 1847, Robert Vernon gave his art collection to the National Gallery. Then, Henry Tate, a rich sugar businessman, offered to pay for a new gallery building. He said the government needed to provide the land and cover running costs. Henry Tate also gave his own collection of Victorian art to the gallery. At first, it only showed modern British paintings from the Victorian era. The National Gallery managed it until 1954.

After 1915, the Tate's collection grew to include art from other countries. This happened when a collection of European modern art came to Tate. Over time, more donations helped the gallery expand its buildings. By the mid-1900s, Tate was showing both British art history and international modern art. In 1954, the Tate Gallery became separate from the National Gallery.

Tate Liverpool opened in 1988.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Tate started holding its own special art shows. In 1979, a large new part of the building opened. This allowed for bigger shows that could bring in more money. In 1987, the Clore Wing opened. It holds many artworks by J. M. W. Turner and has a large room for events.

Tate St Ives opened in 1993.

In 1988, Tate Liverpool opened in northwest England. It shows modern art from the Tate collection and hosts its own shows. In 2007, Tate Liverpool hosted the Turner Prize. This was the first time the prize was held outside London.

In 1993, Tate St Ives opened. It shows art by modern British artists, especially those from the St Ives School. Tate also manages the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden, which opened in 1980.

Tate Modern opened in 2000.

The original London Tate Gallery was getting too small as the art collection grew. So, it made sense to separate the British art from the modern art. Now, they are in different buildings in London. The original gallery is now called Tate Britain. It is the national gallery for British art from 1500 to today. Tate Modern opened in 2000. It is in the old Bankside Power Station by the River Thames. It shows the national collection of modern art from 1900 to today.

In the late 2000s, Tate Modern planned a big new building. This new part would create more space for art, performances, and learning. It would also have more places for visitors to relax. This extension opened in 2016 as The Switch House. In 2017, it was renamed the Blavatnik Building, after a generous donor.

Tate Online

Tate Digital is the team that runs Tate's website and other online projects. Since 1998, Tate's website has given information about all four Tate galleries. It also has details about all the artworks in Tate's collection. You can find research papers and articles from the Tate Etc. magazine there too.

Tate's website has also shown special online art exhibits called Net Art. These are part of Tate's Intermedia Art plan for new media art. Since 2000, 13 Net Art shows have been featured. One, called Tate in Space (2002), was even nominated for an award.

How Tate is Run and Funded

Tate gets money each year from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. A group of trustees manages Tate. They are in charge of running the galleries and choosing the Director.

Maria Balshaw has been the Director of Tate since 2017. She took over from Sir Nicholas Serota.

Different groups help support Tate. Tate Members pay a yearly fee to get benefits like free entry to special shows. There are also Tate Patrons who pay more. Many companies also sponsor Tate. Individual art shows often have their own sponsors too.

Tate spends about £1 million each year on buying new artworks. Other money for art purchases comes from groups like the Tate Members and Patrons.

Tate Logo

The Tate logo was designed in 2000. It was part of a plan to make people "look again, think again" about Tate. The museum uses different versions of its logo that look like they are moving in and out of focus. This shows that Tate is always changing but still easy to recognize. A newer version of the logo was released in 2016.

Directors of Tate

The person in charge of Tate is called the Director. Before 1917, they were called the Keeper.

• Sir Charles Holroyd (1897 to 1906)
• D. S. MacColl (1906 to 1911)
• Charles Aitken (1911 to 1930)
• James Bolivar Manson (1930 to 1938)
• Sir John Rothenstein (1938 to 1964)
• Sir Norman Reid (1964 to 1979)
• Sir Alan Bowness (1980 to 1988)
• Sir Nicholas Serota (1988 to 2017)
• Maria Balshaw (2017 to present)

Galleries

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  J. M. W. Turner, 1843, Light and Colour (Goethe's Theory) – The Morning after the Deluge – Moses Writing the Book of Genesis, Tate Britain

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  Robert Delaunay, 1912, Windows Open Simultaneously (First Part, Third Motif), Tate Modern

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  Paul Klee, 1921, A Young Lady's Adventure, Tate Modern

See also

In Spanish: Tate para niños

• Tate Etc.
• Turner Prize
• Tate Publishing Ltd, a company that publishes art books for Tate