Tate Modern (London)

...in to the surroundings. The Tate Modern is one of those places I have always wanted to visit and finding myself in London with an afternoon to spare last week presented an ideal opportunity to check it out.

Getting There

Located on the south bank of the Thames a number of underground stations are within a comfortable walk from the Tate with Southwark and Blackfriars the closest however in my opinion the best method of ...
...three entry points to the Tate Modern with the main entry proving direct access to the huge Turbine Hall which houses an area given over to large pieces of work. At present there is a large construction of what looks like huge white sugar lumps by Rachel Whiteread built into large blocs and a misshapen pyramid which you can walk amongst. It is called Embankment and is actually made from the casts of cardboard boxes and is all in white. As you rise ... more

For most people the words Modern Art conjure up images of the Turner Prize and the messed up bedding of Tracey Emin which is a shame because the Turner Prize is hardly a good representation of what modern art can offer. As a slight aside what Emin piece of work did actually facilitate was two Japanese performance artists who decided to have a pillow fight on the bed, I could not help but appreciate their style.

I have always enjoyed visiting art shows and have even bought a couple of paintings in my time, there is something pleasing about buying an original painting and hanging it on your walls, it does not have to appreciate in value to give pleasure and a god piece of work will form a centre piece to any living space whilst at the same time blending in to the surroundings. The Tate Modern is one of those places I have always wanted to visit and finding myself in London with an afternoon to spare last week presented an ideal opportunity to check it out.

Getting There

Located on the south bank of the Thames a number of underground stations are within a comfortable walk from the Tate with Southwark and Blackfriars the closest however in my opinion the best method of arrival is to get on the Central Line and get off at St Paul's and then you are able to walk across the Millennium Bridge. This provides a wonderful view of the former power station and the return journey is just as pleasant as you approach St Paul's even if at present the frontage is a cardboard representation hiding a bank of scaffolding.

There are three entry points to the Tate Modern with the main entry proving direct access to the huge Turbine Hall which houses an area given over to large pieces of work. At present there is a large construction of what looks like huge white sugar lumps by Rachel Whiteread built into large blocs and a misshapen pyramid which you can walk amongst. It is called Embankment and is actually made from the casts of cardboard boxes and is all in white. As you rise up to higher floors there are some great views looking down onto this piece of work which is when you get to appreciate the scale of the piece however it was certainly not the most impressive piece that I saw on my visit in my opinion...

In all there are 7 Levels to the Tate Modern served by a bank of lifts and an escalator as well as normal stairs. There are additional entry points which will bring you in on Level 2 which includes the River Entrance which you will use if you cross the Millennium Bridge.

Entry is free however there are polite signs suggesting a £3 contribution towards the upkeep of the gallery and there is a fee to pay for entry into the special Exhibitions on Level 4.

Exhibitions

Level 3 and 5 are the home to the Collection displays and the ones that are free to view. On Level 4 there are two exhibitions for which you will have to purchase tickets however I cannot comment on either of these as I did not have enough time to visit them. The exhibitions change frequently and currently there is a Henri Rousseau and a Jeff Wall exhibition to see.

If you have limited time my recommendation is to head straight for Level 5 as this had some of my favorite pieces and also was less crowded. In particular the History/Memory/Society galleries were very interesting with a large display of posters that glorified the Russian Revolution and were used as a propaganda tool throughout the post revolution years, the Second World War and the cold war period.

In another of the galleries there were some very moving pieces that charted the impact of war on different continents, some of these were very large graphic pieces that covered a complete wall of the gallery they were in and they contained a huge amount of detail. There are also a couple of pieces by Picasso and Warhol in these galleries which were the only names that I recognized.

As with all of the galleries there is a good mix of different media being used in all of the displays, as well as the various forms of painting on canvas there are sculptures, visual arts and the use of sound, some of these work very well and some will sail right over your head and in a couple I had to stifle a snigger as they seemed to typify the sort of work that always raises the comment of "My 6 year old could draw better than that".

Also on Level 5 are the Nude/Action/Body galleries. Now because of the title these will inevitably attract the school children looking for some cheap thrills who will soon become disappointed and indeed a bit horrified at some of the pictures. It was this section though that got the biggest "wow" from me and was due to a group of paintings by Gilbert and George who I discovered are based in the East End of London. Four huge images that depict Death, Hope, Life and Fear and upon entering the gallery I found my head spinning trying to take everything in on the four walls. You will also find works by Matisse and Beuys in this gallery.

Level 3 was a lot more crowded on the day of my visit in the main because this seemed to be where school groups gathered and would huddle around individual paintings or sculptures drawing madly away or listening to one of the guides give a talk. On this level you will find Surrealism works including a Dali and a lot more interesting pieces of sculpture in particular some quite large pieces of work which really dominate the galleries that they are placed in. For those who like to scoff there is a display of what looks like household waste and to be honest it is not a very good bit of art as the whole display is surrounded by cut outs of American soldiers but it is the sort of thing that would get children interested because there is so much going on.

On this level you will also find work by Henri Moore, Matisse and Jackson Pollock to name but a few.

Regarding the remaining levels, the 7th is home to a restaurant while the 6th is for Tate Members only. Level 2 hosts the Café and one of the gift shops with a larger gift shop on Level 1 in the Turbine Hall.

Catering

There are a range of options to suit your individual taste and budget and one of the good things to remember when spending your money is that all of the facilities are run by the Tate so any profits go towards the funding of the Gallery.

Both the restaurant and the café provide table service and a range of hot and cold meals however I headed for the espresso bar on Level 4 where a sandwich and drink will set you back about £6 however although the sandwich was pre wrapped it had been made fresh that day as the wholemeal break was very moist and tasty and it was pretty good value. The main reason for visiting the espresso bar on Level 4 was the great view it affords over the Thames with the dome of St Paul's in full view. In the summer there is a terrace that you can sit out on but in mid winter it was a bit cold for that.

Disabled Facilities

All of the galleries and levels are designed to provide easy access. For those who have difficulty with slopes you may be better entering from either the River Entrance of the Café Entrance which brings you in on level 2 as the slope into the Turbine Hall through the main entrance is quite long.

There are a number of lifts that run up the centre of the building and there are toilets located in the centre of each floor which are well equipped and set out.

All of the galleries are on a level area and provide plenty of space to move around in.

What I liked

I have already mentioned some of the exhibits that I particularly liked but I also liked the design of the gallery. All of the rooms are large and it is easy to navigate around the displays with very little need to walk through the same area twice.

All of the pieces are well set out with enough space around them and the whole feel of the building is that it has been designed to compliment the art it contains.

Whilst walking from room to room there is a constant feeling of discovery and I particularly liked the fact that the height of the rooms varied and you could walk into a room with a large piece of sculpture reaching to the ceiling or even one hanging from it.

There has also been good use of the location of the site, as well as the view of the Thames from the espresso bar there are a number of quiet reading spots that provide either an outward view of the Thames or an inward one of the Turbine Hall.

This is a great place to visit if you have a couple of hours to explore and I would consider bringing my children to visit as there is enough variation in the work to keep them interested and there are a few touch screen facilities providing information on the displays for them to explore.

Housekeeping Information

The opening hours of the Tate Modern are 10.00 till 18.00 Sunday to Thursday and 10.00 till 22.00 Friday and Saturdays. There are free guided tours available the first of which starts at 11.00 on Level 5.

Group visits can be booked in advance and you can also pick up an audio tour if you want to walk around with a phone stuck to your ear.

Like I said entry is free however a donation is suggested and in my mind it was £3 well spent. It was a great day out only ruined by the live performance I observed that evening at Highbury which included a disappearing act by our centre half and a failed improv act by four blokes pretending to be a defense.

For more information check out the excellent website where you can take a virtual tour and even print off the menu for the restaurant.

http://www.tate.org.uk/modern

Thanks for reading and rating my review however comments about the Turner prize are banned and failure to comply will suggest to me that you have not read the review.

 

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