The Tate Modern’s anniversary – celebrating 25 years of achievements.

25 is the number of years for which the Tate Modern has been opened, and the number of years it took to become the world’s most popular museum of modern and contemporary art.  Karin Hindsbo, Director of Tate Modern, said ‘Tate Modern has made an incredible impact in just 25 years. It has exploded the canon of art history, transformed the public’s relationship with contemporary art, and rewritten the rules for what an art museum can be. Our birthday weekend will be a wonderful chance to see what we do best and get a taste of where we’re going next – and all for free!

Credits: Tate Modern.

They are also planning a free and open-for-all exhibition to match the achievement; from the 9th of May until the 12th of May, all are invited to the museum for a retrospective exhibition featuring 25 key artworks from Tate’s history, with Louise Bourgeois’s giant bronze spider Maman as the starting point and Dorothea Tanning’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and Mark Rothko’s Seagram murals along the way.

Catherine Wood, Tate Modern’s director of Program said “We wanted to celebrate our 25th anniversary with a capsule collection of 25 key works, which will lead visitors around the whole building on a journey from old favourites to new discoveries. The selection showcases how art – and Tate Modern itself – has always pushed the boundaries and challenged norms, ultimately letting us all see the world through new eyes”

In addition to this birthday celebration, two new free exhibitions will open in time for the anniversary; A Year in Art: 2050, which will explore how artists imagine the future through modern technologies and styles, such as computer-generated animations and futuristic sculptures by Ayoung Kim and Umberto Boccioni, and Gathering Ground which will showcase international contemporary art focused on the connection to land and community and addressing the correlation between ecological crisis and social injustice. Gathering Grounds will welcome artists such as Outi Pieski, Carolina Caycedo, and Edgar Calel as well as Abbas Zahedi. 

With three new exhibitions to celebrate their 25th anniversary, the Tate Modern will be celebrating grandly and invites all to take part in the experience.