The Rotunda with new central staircase
© Hélène Binet
Tate’s annual report for 2013/14 records that it has been another outstanding year for the institution with new milestones in lending and acquisitions.
Key achievements of the year include:
Tate lent works of art to a total of 282 venues, more than ever before. A total of 1,467 works were loaned over all, 791 to 149UKinstitutions and 676 to 133 venues internationally;
2013/14 was an outstanding year for acquisitions. Tate acquired works to the value of £33.6 million with 773 works byUKartists entering the collection and 282 works acquired by artists from abroad. In addition, six works were added to the ARTIST ROOMS collection. The large number of acquisitions reflects Tate’s growing holdings of photography and bodies of photographic works by Chris Shaw, David Goldblatt and Miyako Ishiuchi became part of Tate’s collection this year;
Across its four sites, Tate attracted a total of 7.04 million visitors and Tate Modern retained its position as the most visited gallery of modern and contemporary art in the world. Tate also now has 1.1 million twitter followers, the highest of any public museum or art gallery inEurope;
Tate also has the highest number of members - 112,000 - of any public museum or gallery inEurope;
The next chapter in TateBritain’s history unfolded with the opening in November 2013 of newly refurbished spaces following a £45 million redevelopment programme. This has transformed the way works of art are displayed in the gallery and has greatly improved the visitor experience;
£23 million was raised to acquire John Constable’s Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows, often regarded the artist’s most important painting. This work began its tour outside London through the Aspire programme, a network involving five institutions in theUK, with a March unveiling at National Museum Wales inCardiff;
The ongoing work across the UK of Plus Tate, Circuit, ARTIST ROOMS and Tate Liverpool’s and Tate St Ives’ extensive local collaborations, continue to bring some of the best art in the UK to new audiences;
Turner Prize 2013 which was staged in Derry/Londonderry, a flagship event within the first UK City of Culture programme attracting 60,000 visitors;
The long-term commitment at Tate Modern from corporate sponsor Hyundai to support annual commissions in the Turbine Hall until 2025;
New partnerships were developed abroad: Tate signed a Memorandum of Understanding withIndia, an indication of its commitment to collaborative exchange with colleagues there. Work inLatin America,Australia, the Asia Pacific region, theMiddle EastandAfricaalso advanced;
The celebration by Tate Liverpool of its 25th anniversary; the gallery has attracted over fifteen million visitors since 1988; and
Progress was made on the next stage of the major expansion of Tate St Ives which celebrated its twentieth anniversary. The extension will double the gallery’s exhibition space as well as bringing other benefits.
Major twentieth-century and contemporary figures were well represented in the exhibition programme; among them Marc Chagall, Richard Deacon, Richard Hamilton, Paul Klee, Roy Lichtenstein and LS Lowry. We also showed several artists in pairs, one to illuminate the other: Gary Hume with Patrick Caulfield at Tate Britain for example; and William Scott with Peter Fraser at Tate St Ives.
It was also a strong year for internationally acclaimed artists, with exhibitions by Mira Schendel and Ellen Gallagher. Tate Modern’s position on the international stage was further strengthened with a focus last summer on work by artists from Lebanon and Africa, attracting new audiences to the gallery.
Major twentieth-century and contemporary figures were well represented in the exhibition programme; among them Marc Chagall, Richard Deacon, Richard Hamilton, Paul Klee, Roy Lichtenstein and LS Lowry. We also showed several artists in pairs, one to illuminate the other: Gary Hume with Patrick Caulfield at TateBritainfor example; and William Scott with Peter Fraser at Tate St Ives.
It was also a strong year for internationally acclaimed artists, with exhibitions by Mira Schendel and Ellen Gallagher. Tate Modern’s position on the international stage was further strengthened with a focus last summer on work by artists fromLebanonandAfrica, attracting new audiences to the gallery.