Gallery has refreshed its free collection displays for the first time in a decade
“For the first time in a decade”, Tate Britain has rehung its free displays, said Eloise Hendy in The Independent. The museum boasts “the most comprehensive collection of British art in the world”, making the task of rearranging and in some cases replacing the 800 works on display – spanning five centuries, from the Tudor period to the present day – a massive undertaking. If the rehang has an argument, it is that British art has always been “intimately entwined” with the political and societal conditions under which it was created. So although the display remains largely chronological, each room is now curated in such a way as to address social themes and historical developments. Topics covered include the path to democracy and women’s rights, the history of empire, and the environment. “Old favourites” by the likes of Turner, Constable and Hogarth have been retained, but recent acquisitions, in particular by women and artists of colour, have come out of storage and been given pride of place. The museum hopes its reshuffle “will inspire interest and curiosity in all visitors”.
