When the new 10-story museum opens June 17, it will boast a huge performance space, rooftop terrace and more geographically diverse collection.
In a year of glitzy museum openings, from New York’s Met Breuer to San Francisco’s sleek SF MoMA, London’s Tate Modern is upping the ante. On June 17, the museum will open the doors of a new 10-story building, complete with refurbished underground oil tanks for live performance, a rooftop terrace with panoramic views, and a 22-foot tree sculpture by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.
The new building, called the “Switch House,” is the culmination of a 12-year £260 million ($375 million) expansion project that will add 60% more gallery space. Curators have seized on the occasion to mount a soul-searching “rehang” of the institution’s entire collection, which has grown significantly since the museum’s opening in 2000. Three quarters of the work on display was acquired in the last 15 years, with an estimated 30% to 40% never previously exhibited.