Adventures at the New Tate Modern
I expected not to like the New Tate Modern. The ginormous twisted ‘Switch House’ building is 10-floors high, would take a week to get round and there’s only so much modern art a person can take. But it’s fantastic, the new museum is big and beautiful, inside and out. And in a week where there has been so much terrible news, this feels like a positive, wonderful thing worth celebrating.
Not realising that I’d been invited to the big official press launch, I was excited to hear the director of Tate Modern Frances Morris speak, followed by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan (I enjoyed Morriss’ Brush with Greatness piece on her relationship with Louise Bourgeois, in the Guardian). The collection has been completely re-hung, celebrates diversity and more than half the displays in the new Switch House are by female artists. Though when I visited it was largely empty and not yet full of art – but the brilliant Louise Bourgeois room is up and running:
When it came to the official opening, giddy with excitement I rushed across to take Sadiq Khan’s photo and asked if I could please shake his hand. I like to keep it old school (no Selfies required). Emotions running high, I then gushed, ‘I am so pleased we have a proper mayor at last.’ ‘Er, thank you,’ came the polite/bemused reply. You can’t take me anywhere…
Artist Wolfgang Tillmans is a Tate Modern trustee and has been campaigning about the EU Referendum HERE; doing my bit I’ve just printed off a poster to put in the window.
Check out my Instagram feed for more pictures of the New Tate Modern. Including some from the viewing level on the 10th floor.
I went on Wednesday evening when it was open for a preview for members. There was a massive queue but well worth the wait. (We certainly needed something to cheer us up this week. It is genuinely frightening what is happening in this country at the moment. I too have a poster in my window.)