Tate Modern

What?

• The Tate Modern in London is Britain's national museum of international modern art and is, with Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool, Tate St Ives, and Tate Online, part of the group now known as Tate
• The galleries are housed in the former Bankside Power Station, which was originally designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the architect of Battersea Power Station
• The Tate Modern is open to the public and access to the permanent collection is free. Over 2006/07 the Gallery received 5,235,000 visitors, making it one of Britain’s most popular and successful tourist destinations

When?

• Work began in 1995, with the gallery opening in 2000

How?

• The conversion of Bankside Power Station into the Tate Modern cost £134 million
• Designated a landmark project for London by the Millennium Commission, the scheme received funding from the Big Lottery, English Partnerships, Arts Council England and the London Borough of Southwark
• The gallery has received additional donations from other public, private and charitable sources
• Disused since 1981, the transformation of the power station into Tate Modern began in 1995 with the removal of all the power station machinery. In 1996 the Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron began to work full time on the site and on 12 May 2000, the Tate Modern was opened to the public
• By 2012, in time for the London Olympics, a £215 million glass pyramid extension dedicated to photography, video, exhibitions and the community, will be added on the south side of the building, increasing the display space by 60%

Summary

• The Tate Modern has represented a remarkable success story. Since its opening in May 2000, it has attracted more than 20 million visitors and created 1000 new jobs, generating £26 million per annum for London as a whole
• It is officially the most popular museum of modern art in the world and the third most popular free attraction in London
• With around 60 per cent of visitors under the age of 35, the Tate Modern has reached out to a younger audience