Tate Modern is a museum of modern and contemporary art in London. It is part of the Tate group of museums, along with Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool, and Tate St Ives. Tate Modern is located on the south bank of the River Thames, in a former power station that was converted into a museum by the architects Herzog & de Meuron.
Description
Tate Modern displays artworks from the 20th and 21st centuries, covering various movements, styles, and media. The collection includes paintings, sculptures, installations, photographs, films, and more by artists from around the world, such as Pablo Picasso, Emily Kame Kngwarreye, and Jenny Holzer. Some of the highlights of the collection are Salvador Dali’s The Persistence of Memory, Mark Rothko’s Seagram Murals, and Ai Weiwei’s Sunflower Seeds.
Ticket
Tate Modern is free to visit, except for some special exhibitions that require a ticket. You can book tickets online or buy them at the museum. Tickets are £18 for adults, £17 for concessions (students, seniors, etc.), and free for members and children under 12. You can also buy a joint ticket for Tate Modern and Tate Britain for £25.
Open
Tate Modern is open every day from 10:00 to 18:00. The last admission is at 17:15. On Fridays and Saturdays, the museum stays open until 22:00. The last admission is at 21:15.
Close
Tate Modern is closed on 24, 25, and 26 December.
Days
Tate Modern is open every day of the year except for Christmas.
Hours
Tate Modern is open from 10:00 to 18:00 on Mondays to Thursdays and Sundays. On Fridays and Saturdays, it is open from 10:00 to 22:00.
How to get
You can get to Tate Modern by various modes of transport:
- By bike: There are cycle hire docking stations near the museum on New Globe Walk, Sumner Street, and Southwark Street. You can also park your own bike on Holland Street, New Globe Walk, and Sumner Street.
- By bus: Routes 40, 63, 100, 381, and 344 stop near the museum on Blackfriars Bridge Road, Southwark Street, or Southwark Bridge Road.
- By train: The nearest stations are Blackfriars (300 metres), Cannon Street (1000 metres), and London Bridge (1100 metres).
- By tube: The nearest stations are Southwark (600 metres) on the Jubilee line, Blackfriars (800 metres) on the District and Circle lines, and St Paul’s (1100 metres) on the Central line.
- By boat: You can take a river boat service to Bankside Pier (40 metres) from various locations along the Thames.
List tips
Here are some tips to make your visit more enjoyable:
- Download the Tate app for free to access audio guides, maps, and information about the artworks and exhibitions.
- Visit the Turbine Hall, a huge space that hosts large-scale installations and performances by contemporary artists.
- Check out the viewing level on the 10th floor of the Blavatnik Building for panoramic views of London.
- Explore the Tanks, former oil tanks that now showcase live art, film, and video works.
- Enjoy a coffee or a meal at one of the cafes or restaurants in the museum.
- Browse the shop for books, prints, gifts, and souvenirs related to art and culture.
Tours
You can join a guided tour of Tate Modern to learn more about the collection and exhibitions. There are different types of tours available:
- Collection tours: These are free tours that run every day at 11:00, 12:00, 14:00, and 15:00. They last for about an hour and cover different themes and artworks in the collection.
- Exhibition tours: These are paid tours that run every day at various times depending on the exhibition. They last for about an hour and give you an in-depth insight into the exhibition.
- Private tours: These are bespoke tours that you can book for yourself or a group. They can be tailored to your interests and needs. They cost £250 for up to 10 people.
You can book exhibition tours online or at the ticket desk. You can book private tours by emailing tours@tate.org.uk or calling +44 (0)20 7887 8888.
List Prohibitions
There are some things that you are not allowed to do in Tate Modern:
- Touch or damage any artworks or displays.
- Take photographs or videos of artworks that have a no photography sign.
- Use flash photography or tripods anywhere in the museum.
- Smoke or vape anywhere in the museum.
- Eat or drink outside designated areas.
- Bring large bags or luggage into the museum. You can use the cloakroom for a small fee.
- Bring pets into the museum except for assistance dogs.
List what to see
There are many things to see in Tate Modern besides the collection and exhibitions. Here are some suggestions:
- The Switch House: This is a new extension of Tate Modern that opened in 2016. It adds more space for displaying artworks and hosting events. It also features a spiral staircase that leads to the viewing level on the top floor.
- The Artist Rooms: These are dedicated rooms that showcase works by individual artists from different periods and countries. Some of the artists featured are Louise Bourgeois , Andy Warhol , Joseph Beuys , and Gerhard Richter .
- The Unilever Series: This is a series of commissions that invite contemporary artists to create site-specific works for the Turbine Hall. Some of the past commissions include Olafur Eliasson’s The Weather Project , Anish Kapoor’s Marsyas , Doris Salcedo’s Shibboleth , and Kara Walker’s Fons Americanus .
- The Performance Programme: This is a programme that presents live art events in various spaces throughout Tate Modern. It includes performances by artists such as Tania Bruguera , Joan Jonas , Anne Imhof , and Tino Sehgal .
Number
Tate Modern has over 60 galleries that display more than 800 artworks from its collection. It also has 11 special exhibition spaces that host temporary shows throughout the year. It has 4 floors in each of its two buildings: The Boiler House and The Blavatnik Building.
