Tate Britain has recorded its busiest autumn–winter period in more than a decade, with over 700,000 visitors passing through the gallery’s doors.
The Millbank venue has extended its weekend opening hours in response to a surge in demand, driven by the popularity of its current major exhibitions.
The Lee Miller and Turner & Constable exhibitions have both attracted large crowds since opening.
So strong has the interest been that both exhibitions stayed open until 10pm over the past two weekends, with further late openings planned again this weekend.
Tate Britain’s Director, Alex Farquharson, welcomed the success of the shows, saying: “From historic landscape painting to groundbreaking modern photography, these inspirational exhibitions invite you to see the world through artists’ eyes.
“I’m delighted that our late openings have been giving even more people the chance to do just that.”
More than 240,000 visitors have visited the Lee Miller exhibition so far, making it the most successful photography exhibition ever held at any Tate gallery.
Featuring 230 prints and a wealth of never-before-seen material, the exhibition marks the largest retrospective of Miller’s work ever staged.
It closes on Sunday evening and all tickets have now sold out. For anyone who hasn't already booked, the only way to see the exhibition now is by becoming a Tate Member.
Turner & Constable is around half-way through its run and has received 130,000 visitors.
The show marks 250 years since both JMW Turner and John Constable were born and brings together over 190 paintings and works on paper, including rare loans from US collections which have not been seen in this country for decades.
Tate Britain and the National Portrait Gallery have recently announced the joint acquisition of a rare 17th-century self-portrait by William Dobson, now on display at Tate Britain. The painting is Dobson’s earliest known work; he is widely regarded as the first great painter born in Britain.
The newly acquired self-portrait has been reunited with Dobson’s portrait of his wife, painted around the same time and already held in Tate Britain’s collection.
The gallery has also unveiled a new free display dedicated to Bridget Riley, featuring paintings from the 1960s and 1970s alongside a major new work, Concerto I. The painting, completed in 2024, has been gifted to Tate by the artist.
