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 1 · From power station to art powerhouse
streetspirit Soaring oil prices silenced this massive brick giant, sparking its future artistic rebirth.
choko Tate Modern
From rusty turbines where the currents used to start, This power station fuels the world with modern art.
choko Tate Modern opened its doors to the public in May 2000, instantly drawing millions.
BETA
choko Play the Switch on Art game to explore how the Tate Modern transformed from a power station into an art powerhouse.
Fun Fact
Tate's twisted tower: Beneath this brick pyramid lie massive underground oil tanks. Once fueling a power station, they're now the world's first spaces dedicated to live performance.
Glossary
herzog & de meuron (noun)
The brilliant Swiss architecture firm that transformed London's gritty Bankside Power Station into the iconic Tate Modern. Their quiet, minimalist redesign preserved the building's industrial soul, proving that old, forgotten spaces can be recycled into world-class powerhouses for art.
The brilliant Swiss architecture firm that transformed London's gritty Bankside Power Station into the iconic Tate Modern. Their quiet, minimalist redesign preserved the building's industrial soul, proving that old, forgotten spaces can be recycled into world-class powerhouses for art.
Quiz
Which Swiss architectural firm won the competition to redesign Bankside into Tate Modern?
Glossary
turbine hall (noun)
A large room or building containing turbines for generating electricity. In 2000, Bankside’s cavernous space reopened to the public showcasing Louise Bourgeois’s monumental bronze spider sculpture, Maman.
A large room or building containing turbines for generating electricity. In 2000, Bankside’s cavernous space reopened to the public showcasing Louise Bourgeois’s monumental bronze spider sculpture, Maman.
Quiz
Who designed the original Bankside Power Station building that later became Tate Modern?