Tate Modern is the national gallery of international modern art. Located in London, it is one of the family of four Tate galleries which display selections from the Tate Collection. The Collection comprises the national collection of British art from the year 1500 to the present day, and of international modern art. The other three galleries are Tate Britain, also in London, Tate Liverpool, in the north-west, and Tate St Ives, in Cornwall, in the south-west. The entire Tate Collection is available online.

Created in the year 2000 from a disused power station in the heart of London, Tate Modern displays the national collection of international modern art. This is defined as art since 1900. International painting pre-1900 is found at the National Gallery, and sculpture at the Victoria & Albert Museum. Tate Modern includes modern British art where it contributes to the story of modern art, so major modern British artists may be found at both Tate Modern and Tate Britain.

The Collection

The Tate collection of modern and contemporary art represents all the major movements from Fauvism on. It includes important masterpieces by both Picasso and Matisse and one of the world's finest museum collections of Surrealism, including works by Dalí, Ernst, Magritte and Mirò. Its substantial holdings of American Abstract Expressionism include major works by Pollock as well as the nine Seagram Murals by Rothko. There is an in depth collection of the Russian pioneer of abstract art Naum Gabo, and an important group of sculpture and paintings by Giacometti. Tate has significant collections of Pop art, including major works by Lichtenstein and Warhol, Minimal art and Conceptual art. Tate also has particularly rich holdings of contemporary art since the 1980s.

Collection Displays

Tate Modern's displays consist of four wings located on Levels 3 and 5. At the heart of each wing is a large central display, or ‘hub’, which focuses on a key period in the development of twentieth century art.

These four seminal periods are Surrealism, Minimalism, Post-war innovations in abstraction and figuration, and the three linked movements Cubism, Futurism and Vorticism. Around these ‘hubs’ a diverse range of related displays present works which anticipated, challenged or responded to these four major movements.

Moving back and forwards in time, these displays reflect the ongoing dialogue between past and present and suggest contemporary perspectives for approaching and reassessing the past.

Special Exhibitions

The displays of the permanent collection are complemented by a continuous programme of temporary exhibitions exploring broad themes of British art as well as the work of individual artists.

Events & Education

Tate Modern has extensive and innovative interpretation, education and events programmes. Interpretation begins with texts in each room about the display and a caption for each work. Captions can be read online in Collection. There is an audioguide, with contributions from artists and critics, and a children's version. Samples of the audio guide can be accessed online under Explore Tate Modern. There is also an award-winning Multimedia Tour, which you can also try out online.

Around the galleries there are dedicated Reading Spaces, where you can relax while finding out more about the art on view, or you can drop into the Clore Information Room to watch artists' videos or to browse the bookshelves. There is a wide range of talks, lectures, free and paid-for gallery tours, symposia, seminars, courses and workshops, as well as film, music, performance, schools, family and community programmes and online events. For details of all programmes go to Events and Education.