In case you wonder whether it is still worth visiting the Tate Britain (the old Tate Gallery) after the opening of the new Tate Modern, the answer is yes! Keep an eye on the exhibitions, because there is always something interesting.
Outside: The building was opened in 1897, by the Thames on Millbank, at the time an out of the way area of central London. The site had previously been occupied by a large prison. The building was the dream of the sugar magnate and art collector Henry Tate, who paid for the building and endowed it with his own collection of British art.
Inside: The layout is like that of the old museums, with big entrance hall and a large staircase. If you like the grandiose and mythological landscapes by Joseph M.W. Turner, this is the place for you. There is also an impressive collection of British royal portraits. The section of British contemporary art can easily go unseen. When I visited, there was the highly interesting exhibition "The Lure of the East." I knew how politically charged such an exhibition can be, after all has been said on orientalism. Personally, I didn't see anything detracting local cultures in these paintings. Of course, they are sometimes unrealistically exotic, and always reflect Western perspectives. But most emerged from the very real fascination with a newly discovered world and culture, like James Sant's "Captain Colin Mackenzie," who, after serving in captivity in what is now Afghanistan, asked to be portrayed in local Afghan costumes. John Frederick Lewis's paintings of Cairo's bazaar (in which he often portraits himself in local costumes) are fresh and exotic in his way. Thomas Seddon's landscapes of the land around Jerusalem are magnificent. If you approach this art with an open mind, the exhibition is educational and fascinating. (Last visit 07/2008)
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