LONDON...

Tate Modern Art Galery

Tate Modern has an excellent collection of modern art, from 1900 until now. It is housed in a former power station. Since its opening in 2000 it has become one of London’s most popular museums.

The galleries of Tate Modern are housed in an enormous brick building that was once the home of the Bankside Power Station. Designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, it was built between 1947 and 1963. Its striking tower is 99 meters tall;

At the end of the 1990s the Tate Gallery - now known as Tate Britain - was struggling with a lack of space due to its quickly expanding collection of modern art. So it was decided to split up the collection and search for a new location to house the modern works of art. The power station, which was located at the riverbank of the Thames was chosen as it had been abandoned in 1981 and offered plenty of space. A competition was held to find an architect for the reconversion of the building. A plan by the Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron was selected out of 148 entries.

 

The museum opened at this location in May 2000 and has become quite a popular tourist attraction thanks to its eclectic collection of modern art. Also, entrance to many of the collections and exhibits at Tate Modern is free, which adds to its popularity.

Tate Modern is set to expand in time for the 2012 Summer Olympics, which are to be held in London. The new, very modern glass pyramid extension will house photography, video, and community exhibits. The architects for the extension, which will be added to the south side of the existing building, will be Herzog and de Meuron.

 

Yiannis Kounellis

                                       Pablo Picasso

                                                                                        "The tree dancers"