In pictures: 20 years of the Tate Modern

One of the biggest contemporary art galleries has seen nearly 100 million people walk through its doors

From gigantic sculptures of spiders to 100 million steel sunflower seeds (and even a Star Wars premiere), the Tate Modern in London has managed to make its mark on the world of contemporary art. Today, it celebrates its 20th anniversary.

It’s hard to imagine that one of the capital’s biggest tourists attraction is younger than some millennials, but it was 11 May 2000 that the Tate Modern opened its doors to the public. Queen Elizabeth cut the ribbon to the gallery, even though, in true British style, the rain made an appearance.

Since then, one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in the world has seen nearly 100 million people walk through its doors.

The gallery is housed in the former Bankside Power Station, which was closed in 1981. In July 1994, it was announced that the Tate was to launch an international competition to select an architect. It was then revealed that Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron of Herzog & de Meuron were the winners.

Visitors have been able to see work from art history giants such as Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol and Pablo Picasso. Hundreds of modern artists from all disciplines – including Damien Hirst, Ai WeiWei and Yayoi Kusama – have also had their work put on display at the Tate.

To celebrate the anniversary, Kusama’s Infinity Mirrored Rooms were to return to the Tate for the first time since appearing at a 2012 retrospective. The Japanese artist’s now-iconic rooms are made with thousands of lights to mirror galaxy-like effects.

Also to return was Louise Bourgeois’s giant spider sculpture Maman, the very first work visitors encountered when Tate Modern opened. However, due to the lockdown, all anniversary events at the Tate Modern have been postponed indefinitely.

“We want to highlight the artists Tate Modern has championed over the past 20 years,” Frances Morris, director of Tate Modern, said back in February. “Kusama and Bourgeois, for example, not only represent our commitment to great artists with truly international careers, but they also embody art’s journey from the avant-gardes of the early 20th century to the immersive installations being created today.”

Click through the gallery above to see the best of Tate Modern.