BradJill

Review of Tate Britain & Tate Modern

Tate Britain is renowned for holding the world's l...

Tate Britain is renowned for holding the world's largest collection of British art, mostly from the 1500s to present day. It is located on Millbank Road in Westminster and is well worth visiting if you are a fan of art history and want to focus your time on the works of British artists. Like many other museums in London, Tate Britain is free, with the exception of special exhibitions.

The Tate Britain was opened at this location in 1897 as the National Gallery of British Art. However, the museum was commonly referred to as the Tate Gallery after its founder - Sir Henry Tate. That name was formally taken in 1932.

In 2000, the Tate Gallery separated its large holding of modern art, forming the new Tate Modern Museum in Southwark, London. What remained here was the historic and contemporary British Art. This is also when the museum name was changed to Tate Britain.



Following the suggested (and recommendable) 'BP Walk through British Art' allows you to start with early 16th century and to chronologically work through the entire collection. This route can be completed in as little as 45-60 minutes for those in a hurry or you can stay much longer. We visited at a leisurely pace, spending just under 4 hours exploring the gallery rooms included within the BP Walk .

You can also see the Clore Galleries at the Tate Britain, which hold a large number of pieces bequeathed to the nation by J.M.W Turner in what is known as the Turner Bequest. More of the Turner Bequest can be seen at the National Gallery. However, the majority of the Bequest, including over 300 oil paintings and 20,000 water colours is kept here at the Tate Britain.

Overall, we enjoyed the BP Walk at the Tate Britain, finding it to be intuitive and easy to follow, making for a manageable visit to the museum. We found the historic period galleries to offer many lovely works by British Masters. Further, there were provocative and likeable works in the contemporary art galleries that we also enjoyed, our favourites probably being the Henry Moore sculptures.

In the end, we find the Tate Britain to be a highly recommendable art museum in London, particularly for those interested in the best of British Art through the centuries.