London, one of the world’s three major modern art museums. Explore the vast space, huge number of artworks, thinking the British collection mania.
Along with New York’s “MOMA” (Museum of Modern Art) and “Pompidou” in Paris, this museum ; “Tate Modern” is at the top of modern art museums in the world. All of them are large art museums, but I think this “Tate Modern” has the largest exhibition space. In 2016, a new space (The Switch House) opened to the public, making it bigger. Even with just the free space, it takes two hours to look at it in a hurry. In addition, it will take three or four hours if seeing a paid special exhibition.
The building used to be a power plant, and its trademark is a huge chimney. On the ground floor, there is a vast space called Turbine Hall. The ceiling on the 7th floor is open, and the floor space is 100m x 30m. If there is no people, it can sprint from one end to the other (but be careful as the floor is slightly sloping). Installation and performance are held irregularly at this location.
One of the characteristics of this museum is the extremely diverse range of artworks. It includes paintings, objects, videos, media, and designs. Especially for objects and designs, huge artworks are exhibited by making use of the wide space. The exhibition space does not have any particular features, but there are some small ingenuities such as changing the color of the walls in specific rooms. Also, among the large number of artworks, there is one Picasso painting side by side, so you can enjoy finding your favorite artist’s artwork.
The entrance fee is free, so it is often crowded. Even so, the number of people decreases when it comes to objects and design rooms. Therefore it is better to choose an empty room and enjoy the space. Also, if you live in London, I recommend becoming a member so that ticket becomes free. This has the benefit since ticket price is high due to the high cost of living in London, and special exhibitions at “Tate Britain” in London are also free. “Tate Britain” is not the modern art museum, but it had exhibitions that make me feel to visit.
I think British people have a kind of collection mania and one way to enjoy this place is to experience the power of the British by visiting the vast space, the huge number and the diverse group of artworks.
In addition, since this museum locates along the Thames river, it is fun to take a walk along after the visit. If you cross the “Millennium Bridge” over the Thames river from the front of the “Tate Modern”, you will find “St. Paul’s Cathedral”, and right next to the museum is the “Globe Theater” where Shakespeare’s works are performed. The “Globe Theater” is a retro theater that takes you back in time to the Middle Ages (although the seats are cramped). By all means, I would like you to wander around the area as well.
Visited multiple times since 2011. Last visit: 2019.
Basic Information
■ Name：Tate Modern
■ Address : Bankside London SE1 9TG
■ Homepage：https://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern
