Towards Tate Modern ─ Public Policy, Private Vision

Tate Modern is not modern - it was a century in the making. This interdisciplinary book is a unique account of a how Tate Modern transformed itself into the highly successful museum it is today. Tate Modern had to entice an audience which had earlier railed against modern art but by creating its own vision of art, its own vision of a public, and its own vision of London, it offered new thinking what a public institution can do. The author examines why the public became willing to visit the new art at Tate Modern and how the Tate pushed the cultural boundaries of national museums and galleries to the south bank of London. She also critiques how the Tate facilitated a new economic paradigm for the funding of a public arts organisation. This book should be read by students and researchers working in the disciplines of museum studies, as well as art history, architectural history, cultural studies, history, organisational studies, visual studies and interdisciplinary research. As an account of cultural policy relating specifically to museums and galleries, it will be of great interest to those working in museums and arts organisations.

Dr Caroline Donnellan is a Lecturer in History of Art & Architectural History for Boston University, Study Abroad London, UK whose field of research focuses on the museum in the city. Drawing on the mixed methods of social science and humanities her work examines the cultural and economic functions of the museum, as well as the experiential role it plays in serving its public.