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Tate Report 2004-2006

Modern and Contemporary British Art

Among the most important additions to the Modern British Collection over the last two years has been the group of nine Barbara Hepworth works allocated to Tate under the in lieu scheme. All the works, apart from Maquette for the ‘Unknown Political Prisoner’ 1953, had been on long loan to the Barbara Hepworth Museum for several years. Tate was also allocated Christopher Wood’s Zebra and Parachute 1930, one of the artist’s best known and most mysterious pictures. Elsewhere, John Wells’s bequest of constructions and paintings strengthened our representation of his work and post-war British Constructivism more generally. This area was further bolstered by the purchase of constructions by Kenneth Martin, Mary Martin and Victor Pasmore. Other acquisitions of works by senior post-war artists included Eduardo Paolozzi’s Collage Mural 1953 – a large abstract collage – and a group of works by Lynn Chadwick, presented by the artist’s estate. The Art & the 1960s: This Was Tomorrow exhibition led to a number of important acquisitions, among them Frank Bowling’s Who’s Afraid of Barney Newman? 1968, Gwyther Irwin’s Letter Rain 1959, and David Medalla’s Cloud Canyons No.3 1961/2004.

There has been a continued emphasis placed on the acquisition of contemporary British works. Among the highlights is undoubtedly Chris Ofili’s major installation The Upper Room 1999–2002, which was acquired with assistance from Tate Members, the National Art Collections Fund and private benefactors. We are also delighted to have secured Gilbert & George’s important work Fates 2005, which was one of the central pieces of their presentation at the Venice Biennale in 2005 when the duo represented Britain. In addition, Tate’s holdings of work by Tracey Emin were significantly strengthened by the acquisition of a substantial group of works, most of which were included in her monographic display at Tate Britain in 2004–5. Noteworthy groups of works by Richard Long and John Latham were also accessioned.

Tate’s involvement with the Frieze Art Fair Fund has enabled us to acquire the work of a number of contemporary British artists, including Scott Myles and Martin Boyce. We have since extended our representation of Boyce’s work with the exemplary From 'Our Love is Like the Flowers, the Rain, the Sea and the Hours', 2002. Tate has continued to actively collect artists’ film and video, and key acquisitions in the last biennial period include Zarina Bhimji’s Out of Blue 2002, Isaac Julien’s Vagabondia 2000, Carey Young’s Everything You’ve Heard is Wrong 1999, and Phil Collins’s they shoot horses 2004.

The Collection remains heavily dependent on the generosity of individuals and artists, and over the last two years Tate was the grateful recipient of works from Rita Donagh, Antony Gormley, Richard Hamilton, Langlands and Bell, and Paula Rego, and the estates of Ian Hamilton Finlay, Justin Knowles, Bob Law, Carl Plackman and Austin Wright, among others.