A History Of The Tate Modern In A Minute

An immense, iconic building standing tall on London’s skyline, the magnificent Tate Modern gallery showcases the best of national and international modern art. One of the four major Tate sites, the modern gallery is based on Bankside facing St. Paul’s Cathedral and the City of London.
The building was formerly the Bankside Power Station in the borough of Southwark, designed by the architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, who also planned the Battersea Power Station. Building began in 1947, and the Power Station closed in 1981. It wasn’t until 1992, when the Tate Gallery opened a competition to design a new building for modern art, when Herzog and de Meuron won with their proposal of reinventing the Bankside Power Station, rather than it being demolished. The great Turbine Hall, which previously held the electricity generators of the power station, was transformed into a vast social space. At five storeys high, it provides a large area for specially commissioned installations. Alongside the Turbine Hall was the Boiler House, which subsequently became the galleries that are seen in the building today. The 4.2 million bricks used on the façade of the building and the gigantic tower formulate the Tate Modern as a prominent and distinguishable design.

The gallery attracts an astonishing five million visitors per year, and is renowned as one of the largest collections of modern and contemporary art from around the globe. It showcases art from 1900 to the present day, with countless famous names such as Warhol, Lichtenstein, Bonnard, Matisse, Picasso, and Rothko.

The galleries here are grouped by artistic movement, spanning over five of the seven available floors. Other facilities at the Tate Modern include a performance area, education areas, an auditorium, several shops, a café, restaurant, community garden and a room for members, alongside easy access to the Tate Britain.

📅 Open Sunday to Thursday 10AM – 6PM, Friday to Saturday 10AM – 10PM

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.