Chapter 1
From power station to art powerhouse
Chapter 2
Shaking up how we view art
Chapter 3
The giant playground of the Turbine Hall
YOUR GOAL
Master of How Tate Modern changed art
Ch 2 · Shaking up how we view art
streetspirit Explore Helio Oiticica's Tropicália, an interactive art installation where walking barefoot on an indoor beach was a radical act of protest.
choko See how Tate Modern paired Claude Monet's waterlilies with Richard Long's river mud to cleverly disguise gaps in their 20th-century art collection.
choko See how Tate Modern groups masterpieces by movement-based themes like Cubism and Surrealism instead of using strict timelines.
BETA
choko Tilt paintings into themed galleries to discover how Tate Modern changed the art world forever.
Fun Fact
Curating by theme: When Tate Modern opened, they rejected chronological timelines to display Claude Monet’s classic water lilies directly opposite a massive mud-wall drawing by Richard Long.
Glossary
lars nittve (noun)
The visionary Swedish curator who served as the first director of the Tate Modern during its historic launch in 2000. Under his watch, the museum shook up how we view art by displaying masterpieces in thematic, non-chronological groups instead of a traditional timeline. Think of him like a DJ for modern art, mixing historic and contemporary works together because they share a common vibe or topic rather than when they were created.
The visionary Swedish curator who served as the first director of the Tate Modern during its historic launch in 2000. Under his watch, the museum shook up how we view art by displaying masterpieces in thematic, non-chronological groups instead of a traditional timeline. Think of him like a DJ for modern art, mixing historic and contemporary works together because they share a common vibe or topic rather than when they were created.
Quiz
Instead of historical chronology, how did Tate Modern organize its initial galleries?
choko Free admission transformed Tate Modern from an elite gallery into a public living room.
choko Tate Modern actively shifted its focus to collect art from Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Fun Fact
Global Art Hunts: Shaking up how we view art, Tate Modern set up regional committees specifically to hunt for and buy incredible masterpieces from Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Glossary
thematic hang (noun)
An exhibition design method where artworks are grouped by shared concepts or subjects rather than chronological order. In May 2000, curator Frances Morris pioneered this approach for the opening of London's Tate Modern.
An exhibition design method where artworks are grouped by shared concepts or subjects rather than chronological order. In May 2000, curator Frances Morris pioneered this approach for the opening of London's Tate Modern.
Fun Fact
Monet next to Richard Long: In 2000, Tate hung a 1916 Monet painting right next to a 1991 slate circle sculpture.