The author Ian McEwan shares an engaging anecdote about the launch event for Tate Modern on May 11, 2000, where he was introduced to then-Prime Minister Tony Blair by Nicholas Serota, the director of Tate. Blair greeted McEwan warmly, expressing his admiration for the novelist’s work and mentioning that some of his paintings decorated Downing Street.
The event was attended by notable figures including Yoko Ono, Jarvis Cocker, Neil Tennant, and Queen Elizabeth II. As Tate Modern marks its 25th anniversary, it’s difficult to visualize such a grand affair taking place in today’s climate.
At that time, London was the last major European city without a premier modern art gallery. This transformed power station was poised to become a key cultural hub in the UK. Its imposing 99-meter tower symbolized a message of revitalization and opportunity to the global audience, and they eagerly responded, with 5 million visitors flocking to the gallery in its first year, far surpassing the anticipated 2 million.
In the wake of the Cool Britannia movement and the emergence of Young British Artists in the 1990s, Tate Modern effectively shattered the remnants of British conservatism regarding contemporary art. To address the gaps within the collection, Serota implemented a thematic layout instead of a chronological one, which sparked considerable criticism. Rather than merely replicating the formats of other institutions like New York’s Museum of Modern Art, Tate Modern redefined expectations and established a new benchmark for 21st-century museums.
From the landmark exhibition “Matisse Picasso” in 2002 to the Cézanne showcase two decades later, Tate Modern has introduced enough masterworks to satisfy even the most critical observers of installations featuring helter-skelters and swings. However, its crowning achievement remains the expansive 300 square meter Turbine Hall. This vast venue has inspired artists to stretch their creativity, exemplified by Louise Bourgeois’s colossal spider, “Maman,” which welcomed visitors initially and returns for the anniversary festivities.
Since its inception, which included an event for London taxi drivers, Tate Modern’s goal has been to democratize art. The gallery buzzes with activity; children sketch on the floors, students gather, and families enjoy picnics. Blair might have aptly termed it “the people’s palace.”
The institution has also aimed to broaden its artistic scope, incorporating more global and female artists into its collection while hosting significant exhibitions showcasing figures like Frida Kahlo, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Yayoi Kusama, the latter of whom achieved unprecedented attendance in 2023. A retrospective of Tracey Emin is scheduled for next year.
However, it has not been without challenges. Like many cultural venues, Tate Modern has faced the repercussions of Brexit, the pandemic, and a funding crisis. The termination of its sponsorship by BP in 2016 drew protests from climate activists, and its success has inadvertently overshadowed the less heralded Tate Britain in Millbank.
The global landscape has shifted significantly since Tate Modern first opened. Where we once reveled in Olafur Eliasson’s enchanting creation “The Weather Project” in 2003, we now find ourselves confronting the emotional weight of Mirosław Bałka’s ominous installation that transformed the Turbine Hall into a space reflective of our collective anxieties back in 2009.
Meanwhile, the National Gallery celebrates its own major milestone this year, marking 200 years since its founding on May 10. In contrast, Tate Modern is still relatively young. Over the initial part of this century, it has firmly established itself within the cultural elite while maintaining its unique essence—a challenging balance to achieve. Nonetheless, modern art’s role is to innovate and question the established order.
**Would you like to share your thoughts on the issues raised in this article? To submit a response of up to 300 words for potential publication in our letters section, please click [here](mailto:guardian.letters@theguardian.com?body=Please%20include%20your%20name,%20full%20postal%20address%20and%20phone%20number%20with%20your%20letter%20below.%20Letters%20are%20usually%20published%20with%20the%20author%27s%20name%20and%20city/town/village.%20The%20rest%20of%20the%20information%20is%20for%20verification%20only%20and%20to%20contact%20you%20where%20necessary.)**
