1. Turner Prize 2007
The Turner Prize 2007 was the first time the prize had been presented outside London since it began in 1984. The winner, Mark Wallinger was awarded the prize live on Channel 4 by Dennis Hopper. Over 71,000 people enjoyed the cream of contemporary British art.
2. Salvador Dalí: A Mythology
Salvador Dalí, arguably the most famous of all twentieth-century artists, inspired a momentous exhibition for Tate Liverpool, Salvador Dalí: A Mythology in October 1998. The exhibition attracted more than 67,000 visitors. It explored themes including mythology, religion, politics and psychoanalysis and blurred the boundaries between dreams and reality to open new possibilities to his art.
3. Summer of Love: Art of the Psychedelic Era
This hit exhibition attracted more than 35,000 visitors in Liverpool and has since toured the world and been seen by more than 200,000 people in Frankfurt, Vienna and New York. The exhibition brought psychedelic art together with over 150 important posters, album covers and underground magazines, in particular from the San Francisco and London scenes.
4. Shopping: A Century of Art and Consumer Culture
Shopping: A Century of Art and Consumer Culture examined the relationship between art and commercialism and the cultural phenomenon that is shopping; documenting the beginnings of the department store in the early twentieth century; examining the influence of commercialism and mass production on artists such as Warhol; and, in turn, how such a consumer-dominated society might look in the future.
5. Starlit Waters
This inspirational exhibition was the first to be displayed at Tate Liverpool when it opened its doors in May 1988. It focused on the works of some of Britain’s finest sculptors such as Richard Long, Michael Craig-Martin, Richard Deacon and Antony Gormley.
6. Carl Andre’s Bricks
Carl Andre’s Equivalent VIII featured in Tate Liverpool’s Minimalism exhibition in March 1989. This hotly-debated piece of contemporary art features 120 identical firebricks, and is a key iconic work from the Tate collection. Andre wanted to recreate a low and level surface, reminiscent of a lake in New Hampshire. The number 120 also plays a part in understanding the piece, as 120 is rich in factors, something that interested Andre.
7. Rothko’s Seagram Murals
Mark Rothko’s seminal Seagram Murals also marked the opening of Tate Liverpool to the public in May 1988 and was shown in the space that is now the café. These important works were donated to Tate in 1968–69 by Rothko himself who had great affection for both Britain and Tate.
8. Fireworks artwork from The Real Thing: Contemporary Art from China
On 29 March 2007 the Yangjiang Group opened the Tate Liverpool exhibition The Real Thing: Contemporary Art from China with a firework performance. Entitled If I knew the danger ahead, I’d have stayed well clear (2007), £50,000 was raised to realise this new commission that saw over 20,000 rockets fired over the Mersey in just six minutes in the form of a firework battle.
9. Superlambanana
Designed by Taro Chiezo, Superlambanana was created to symbolise Liverpool’s past as a city of trade. Chiezo’s trademark ‘Manga’ influence can be felt within the piece and although infamous for its bright yellow colour, the Superlambanana has undergone several makeovers, most notably pink, to raise awareness for Breast Cancer. It’s become a firm favourite with Liverpool residents.
10. Best toilets
In addition to exhibitions and events Tate Liverpool strives to provide excellent visitor facilities and customer service. We’ve won awards for our toilets, are proud winners of the 2008 Lever Prize and in October 2007 Tate Liverpool was awarded the prestigious Charter Mark in recognition of high-quality customer service.
11. Antony Gormley’s Field for the British Isles
Field for the British Isles was created by Antony Gormley with the help of Sutton Community High School in St Helens. This spectacular work, made of 35,000 terracotta figurines, first filled the gallery in November 1993. Gormley has created other Fieldworks at Tate Liverpool, Field (American) was shown at the gallery in 2004 as part of the exhibition The Secret History of Clay.
12. Turner with the lights off
In June 2000, Tate Liverpool held an extraordinary exhibition entitled, The Sun is God featuring the works of JMW Turner. The works were presented in natural light and without frames which encouraged the viewer to see the works as they would have been in Turner’s studio. Turner was familiar with the North West, and enjoyed fishing in the river Dee. And of course, the Turner Prize, introduced in 1984 in his honour, is synonymous with the Tate galleries.
13. Heaven: An Exhibition That Will Break Your Heart
Heaven: An Exhibition That Will Break Your Heart was on show at the turn of the new millennium and explored themes of happiness, fulfilment and religion in a modern society dominated by pop culture and the cult of celebrity. The exhibition examined how society’s happiness, fears and aspirations have altered over time and examines the role of the media and pop culture which has contributed to this change.
14. Sir Henry Tate
The history of the Tate began with industrialist, Henry Tate who made the majority of his fortune through holding the patent for the sugar cube. The National Gallery of British Art, now better known as Tate Britain in London, opened its doors for the first time in 1897 after Tate donated his entire art collection along with £80,000 and his name to the gallery. The sugar magnate began his career as a 13-year-old apprentice grocer in Liverpool.
15. Learning
Tate offers a range of workshops and courses within its galleries for people of all ages including family activities, and Young Tate, which encourages young people to get involved in the arts. So, if you want to brush up on your painting skills, take part in interesting debates or treat the family to a fun-filled day out, Tate Liverpool is an ideal choice.
16. Thematic collection
Tate Liverpool was pioneering in its presentation of works from the Tate Collection which it exhibited in thematic displays rather than a static chronological hang. Surrealism and Mark Rothko, the Gallery’s opening displays, drew on particular strengths within the collection and were treated as mini-exhibitions. This approach is now the model for collection displays at Tate Modern and Tate Britain.
17. The building and its redevelopment
Tate Liverpool is housed in a beautiful converted warehouse, which is part of the Grade I-listed Albert Dock. The Albert Dock is an important part of the Mersey waterfront, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The opening of the Gallery marked the final phased of the regeneration of the Albert Dock.
18. Information Assistants
Tate Liverpool was the first national gallery in the UK to pioneer the use of Information Assistants in the galleries, who are there not only to ensure the safety and security of the art and our visitors, but also to actively engage with visitors to help them discover more about the art on display. Tate is recognised as an ‘Investors in People’ employer.
19. Late at Tate
In July 2007 Tate Liverpool launched Late at Tate: a series of monthly late-night openings. Visitors have the opportunity to enjoy a series of one-off events themed around the artworks on display, see all the Tate Liverpool exhibitions, and enjoy a different kind of social experience. The first Late at Tate saw two of the UK’s finest artists, Peter Blake and Tracey Emin discuss their enduring friendship. Other events have included music performances by Martin Creed’s band, and events such as the ‘Kissing performance’ in front of Rodin’s The Kiss.
20. Rodin’s The Kiss
As part of Tate Liverpool’s DLA Piper Series: The Twentieth Century – How it looked & how it felt, several masterpieces from the Tate Collection are on display in Liverpool to help celebrate Liverpool European Capital of Culture 2008. Rodin’s The Kiss is one of the key works. This beautiful, romantic and timeless piece of art is now situated in the foyer of Tate Liverpool and is popular with visitors. In order to install a sculpture on this scale, two large foyer windows had to be temporarily removed, the work moved along the Colonnades and then installed in the foyer by specialist staff.