Tate Britain has a rich architectural history. From the original building completed in 1897 on the site of the former Millbank Prison, the gallery has undergone a series of changes over the last century as well as surviving flooding and war damage. Led by architectural writer, historian and editor Shumi Bose, this tour explores how the building’s development has reflected broader shifts in architectural movements – from nineteenth-century neo-classicism to the postmodern Clore Gallery. It includes a visit to the new installation and performance in the Duveen Galleries by artist Anthea Hamilton, whose work has often engaged with images and legacies of postmodernism.
The tour is followed by a panel discussion (18.30–20.00) exploring the history and legacy of postmodern architecture, held in the Clore Auditorium. A limited number of combined tickets for the tour and panel discussion are available for £22 (£18 concessions).
These events are organised in collaboration with Sir John Soane’s Museum, where the exhibition The Return of the Past: Postmodernism in British Architecture runs from 16 May to 26 August 2018.
Biography
Shumi Bose is an editor, teacher and curator based in London, and a director of REAL foundation (Real Estate Architecture Laboratory), a charitable foundation and cultural institute. She teaches histories and theories of architecture at the Architectural Association and at Central Saint Martins and has worked for several architectural institutions in London and New York. Shumi was a curatorial collaborator for the 2012 Venice Biennale of Architecture, where she edited Common Ground: A Critical Reader with Sir David Chipperfield. Recent publications include Real Estates: Life Without Debt (Bedford Press, 2014) and Places for Strangers (with mæ architects, Park Books, 2014).