Tate Liverpool today announced that the gallery will reopen on 2 December 2020 with two new collection displays for visitors to enjoy. People will once again be able to visit the national collection of art on display, featuring hundreds of artworks from across the centuries and around the world. In line with current coronavirus guidance, measures are being taken in the gallery to ensure a safe and enjoyable visit for all.
Two brand new displays featuring works from the Tate collection, Democracies and Whose Tradition? will open to the public for the first time. Both present artworks from the Tate collection by artists from around the world in the context of politically and socially relevant themes.
Democracies shows works from the collection by artists from around the world who have responded in various ways to the theme of democracy. The works by Jenny Holzer, Glenn Ligon, Lubaina Himid and Bob and Roberta Smith and more interrogate issues such as freedom of expression, speech and assembly, inclusion and equality as well as minority rights, challenging our collective understanding of living in a democratic society in the 21st century.
Whose Tradition? presents works by artists who over the last century have adopted each other’s cultural traditions, mixing Western and global styles to create new and interwoven art histories. As a gallery set on Liverpool’s former Docks this display speaks to the heart of our diverse city’s history of trading around the world. Works by Pacita Abad, Henri Matisse, Barkley L. Hendricks and even Pablo Picasso pose questions about representation, stereotypes, traditions, colonialism and cultural exchange.
Both displays will run until 2022.
Alongside these new free displays, visitors to Tate Liverpool will be able to see Don McCullin, featuring some of the most iconic photographs taken during the career of one of Britain’s greatest living photographers. Later in the month on 15 December, a new commission by Aliza Nisenbaum will be unveiled at the gallery. Nisenbaum has painted portraits of key workers from Merseyside’s NHS, who have all worked tirelessly for their communities during the pandemic. Sitting via Zoom, each individual has been painted with something that they said got them through the pandemic. The portraits will be shown alongside the vibrant, large-scale murals for which the artist is known.
As the galleries reopen, every precaution has been taken to make the experience safe and enjoyable. To ensure people can keep a safe distance from each other, all visitors, including Members, need to book a timed ticket in advance to visit the collection displays or exhibitions. For more information and to book tickets please visit tate.org.uk/visit
