Tate Britain to Rehang National Collection with Women Centre Stage

By Sarah Knight

Tate Britain is preparing to rehang its national collection, in its entirety, for the first time in a decade. Due to be unveiled on 23 May 2023, the new display will incorporate over 800 works by more than 350 artists, and half of the contemporary artists on display will be women. The Director of the Tate’s British Art Collection, Polly Staple, said this exemplifies Tate Britain’s ‘commitment to expanding the canon and diversifying British Art History,’ through the integration of new acquisitions amongst ‘familiar and much-loved classics’.  

Tate Britain, Millbank Façade. Image Credit: Rikard Österlund 

Over 500 years’ worth of British art will be represented via the new display. Tate Britain’s extensive collection of the works of JMW Turner – the world’s largest – will be accompanied by works of other historically significant figures like John Constable and Henry Moore. The increased representation of women will begin as far back as the seventeenth century, and will benefit from the Tate’s 2021 acquisition of 29 works by Emily Sargent, including watercolours from her travels in North Africa. Female contemporary artists on display will include Bridget Riley, Tracey Emin and Kudzanai-Violet Hwami, and fresh works joining the national collection from a ‘new generation of young artists’ will appear alongside them, giving a spotlight to contributions such as Rachel Jones’ kaleidoscopic canvases and a photographic series by Rene Matić. The aim of this total upheaval is to present a wider and more thorough narrative of British art which encourages the public, according to Tate Britain Director, Alex Farquharson, to consider ‘how it speaks to us, challenges us, and inspires us’.  

 Andrea Schlieker, Director of Exhibitions and Displays at Tate Britain, calls the rehanging a ‘new lens through which to see the art of the past and provide inspiration to future generations’. And, while this is a momentous and eagerly anticipated undertaking, it is not the only big change underway at Tate Britain; in order to keep the collections and the way we view them representative of current societal values and discourse, another rehanging project is set for completion in May, addressing connections between works of art in the national collection and legacies of colonialism and the slave trade in this country. Such projects are answering calls for change and accountability in our national galleries such that privilege and historic omissions are appropriately handled in the interests of openness and public education. 

While we await further details of the rehanging in the coming months, we can speculate as to exactly what the promised increase in the presence of female artists will look like in practice. Will Emily Sargent, for example, who has long been confined to the shadow of her brother, John, be shown alongside his works, or as an artist in her own right – and space – at last? While steps are evidently being taken in the direction of necessary change, the operation of putting artwork by women on a stage equal to that of men goes deeper than inclusion statistics; it relies on the right careful curatorial choices about contextualisation, juxtaposition, and explanation. There will always be limitations to any collection - and varying opinions on their respective displays - but public interest in the scope and success of the Tate’s latest efforts to improve is sure to grow as we await their revelation in May. 

Bibliography 

 Iorizzo, Ellie. ‘Tate Britain to unveil complete rehang of collection for first time in 10 years,’ Evening Standard. 15 February 2023. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/tate-britain-british-tate-tracey-emin-north-africa-b1060572.html  

 Press release, ‘Tate Britain to unveil complete rehang in May 2023’, Tate. 15 February 2023 https://www.tate.org.uk/press/press-releases/tate-britain-to-unveil-complete-rehang-in-may-2023  

 Sherwood, Harriet. ‘First Tate Britain rehang in 10 years will put female artists at centre,’ The Guardian. 15 February 2023. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/feb/15/first-tate-britain-rehang-in-10-years-will-centre-women-artists  

 Simpson, Craig. ‘Tate Britain’s rehang to focus on slavery in ‘inclusive revamp’,’ Telegraph. 21 January 2023. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/01/21/tate-britains-rehang-focus-slavery-inclusive-revamp/