London Art & Culture London Galleries Tate BritainTate Britain
Tate Britain is currently billed as the 'home of British art from 1500 to the present day'. Tate Britain is an essential London gallery and hosts imaginative exhibitions, on a rotating basis. Its collection focusses on British Art from the last 500 years including works by Hogarth, 
Gainsborough and Reynolds and substantial twentieth century work, including Francis Bacon and the sculptors Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth. Special attention is also paid to three outstanding artists from the Romantic age - Blake, Constable and Turner. The Turner Collection alone contains over 300 paintings and thousands of watercolours and is housed in the specially built Clore Gallery. Enough, on its own to warrant a visit, but just a part of the Tate Britain's impressive collection.
Aside from permanent displays, the Tate Britain has a reputation for continuous programmes of temporary exhibtions.Entry is free and besides the displays there are talks, lectures, music and numerous other programmes and events. It's my personal favourite gallery (anywhere) and works by Sargent, Rosetti, Canaletto and Turner are absorbing, thoughtfully displayed and I believe their finest works. I recommend taking a meandering path in an entirely random manner, rather than fixing a route. The quality on display is consistently exceptional and you're bound to run into something unexpected that way.
But what's it really like? Well, the National is a lot more tourist heavy, being where it is - in the epicentre of visitor London. Millbank is a short walk up-river from the Palace at Westminster (Parliament) and the crowds slow to a trickle. As a result, you'll have a lot more space and since the visitors have had to go out of their way, it attracts more enthusiasts than casual observers.
It's professional, but friendly, like all museums and art galleries it has a bag search when you enter and honestly - it says much more about the institution than the presiding directors would imagine. Tate Britain is especially helpful and you're also permitted to get very close to the paintings. The extremely valuable ones have a small rope at the base, which doesn't prevent you from getting close to the painting, but gently reminds you in an unfussy manner, that it's valuable.
Tate Britain and Tate Modern are now connected by a high speed boat along the River Thames, which runs from Millbank Millennium Pier immediately outside Tate Britain. The boat is decorated with spots, based on paintings of similar appearance by Damien Hirst.
Entry is free except for major exibitions.
Open everyday 10.00–17.50
Exhibitions open 10.00–17.40
Open until 22.00 on the first Friday of each month for Late at Tate Britain
Closed 24, 25, 26 December (open as normal on 1 January)
Millbank, London SW1P 4RG
Call: 020 7887 8888
Email: visiting.britain@tate.org.uk
