Tate Gallery

The Tate Modern art gallery at Bankside, London. Housed in the former Bankside power station, the Tate Modern houses one of the most important collections of modern art in the world. A major tourist attraction, the gallery attracts millions of visitors each year.

Art gallery in London, housing British art from the late 16th century and international art from 1810. Endowed by the sugar merchant Henry Tate (1819-1899), it was opened in 1897. A Liverpool branch of the Tate Gallery opened in 1988, and the St Ives extension in 1993. In 2000, an initiative began to split the gallery thematically into two. The current site was relaunched in March 2000 as Tate Britain, aiming to become a national gallery of British art - Tate's original intention. Tate Modern opened in May 2000 at the former Bankside power station, London, displaying the Tate collection of international 20th and 21st century art.

The Tate Gallery has unique collections of the work of J M W Turner and William Blake, also one of the best collections of Pre-Raphaelite painting. The Clore Gallery extension for Turner's paintings was opened in 1987. The new entrance and exhibition space at Tate Britain was scheduled to open in spring 2001. Tate Modern was linked to St Paul's Cathedral by a footbridge, and to the Tate Britain by shuttle bus and boat services. Around 5.25 million people visited Tate Modern during its first year, making it the most popular modern art museum in the world.