Overview
The building does a lot of the work. The former Bankside Power Station, designed by Giles Gilbert Scott, the same man who gave us the red telephone box, was converted into Tate Modern in 2000, and the Switch House extension added in 2016 gave it a second, more angular life. The Turbine Hall, which runs through the heart of the original building, is one of the most extraordinary public spaces in London: 35 metres high, 152 metres long, and regularly transformed by artists into something that makes you stop mid-stride.
The permanent collection spans from 1900 to the present and includes Rothkos, Picassos, Louise Bourgeois, Warhols, and rotating works from artists across the global south who were long absent from institutions like this. It's far from perfect but it's genuinely ambitious.
What to See
The Turbine Hall commission changes roughly every six months, check what's currently installed before you go, as this can transform the whole visit. Past commissions have included Olafur Eliasson's artificial sun, Carsten Höller's slides, and Louise Bourgeois's giant spider. Always free.
The Rothko Room in the permanent collection is the meditative heart of the building, a room of large, dark, mutely glowing canvases that were originally made for the Four Seasons restaurant in New York and rejected. They feel more at home here.
The tenth floor of the Switch House has the best free view of St Paul's across the Thames. On a clear day it is frankly unfair how good it is.
For a Date
Tate Modern is underrated as a date location because the art gives you things to argue about, wonder at, or stand in comfortable silence in front of. The Turbine Hall in particular has a scale that makes conversation feel meaningful and small-talk feel unnecessary. Book a table at the sixth-floor Kitchen and Bar for a late lunch with river views.
Practical Notes
- Open Sunday–Thursday 10am–6pm, Friday–Saturday 10am–10pm. Free entry to permanent collection.
- Special exhibitions require a ticket, book in advance online.
- The restaurant on level 6 has good views and average food; the café on level 2 is better for a quick break.
- Blackfriars and Southwark stations are both under 10 minutes on foot. The Millennium Bridge connects directly to St Paul's.