Tate Modern Research

In 1889 Henry Tate, an industrialist who had made his fortune as a sugar refiner, offered his collection of British nineteenth century art to the nation and provided funding for the first Tate Gallery. He originally offered his collection to the National Gallery but the bequest was turned down by the trustees because there was not enough space in the gallery.

With the help of an £80,000 donation from Henry Tate a campaign was begun to create a new gallery dedicated to British art. Tate Britain was built and opened in 1897.

In 1992 the Tate Trustees announced they wanted to create a separate gallery for international modern and contemporary art in London. The resulting Tate Modern was opened in May 2000 and is now one of the UK's top three tourist attractions generating an estimated £100 million in economic benefits to London annually.

The collections in Tate Modern consist of works of international modern and contemporary art dating from 1900 until today, this spans across four large floors. Throughout these floors you can walk through different styles, ages and types of art which appeal to all people.