Ana Beatriz Ferreira da Rocha e Silva

Dissertation: …And the TATE Became Modern: Discourses of Urban Regeneration and Cultural Tourism as Agents in Shaping a New Identity

When in the early 1990s the Tate Gallery announced its plans to open a new unit devoted to modern art, there was much speculation about what this new gallery would be. At that time, the Tate had already physically expanded its domain with two satellite galleries in St Ives and Liverpool.

However, the creation of the new Tate Gallery of Modern Art in the capital would resolve a series of problems - essentially the lack of space to exhibit properly the modern art collection at the Millbank site and the provision of London's first museum of modern art.

From the earliest ideas until its definitive name - TATE Modern - and its opening in 2000, much was done in an attempt to modernise its profile. Some of the strategies developed included the division of the collection, the selection of the new site, the launch of an international architectural competition and the promotion of the idea of TATE Modern in the media. All culminated in the construction of a modern identity for the institution.

But these strategies could not be sufficient to fulfil the great expectations regarding these ambitious plans. Two other discourses were intentionally developed in order to achieve great success: urban regeneration and mass cultural tourism.

Based on archival evidence, this study explores how TATE Modern was promoted to wider audiences as a crucial element for revitalising the site, as a potential tourist destination, as well as how these discourses acted as agents in shaping the new museum's identity.