Tate Modern

This monumental structure on the bank of the river Thames—built as a power station in the 1950s—can be credited with changing Britain’s relationship with contemporary art. Opened in 2000 by its first director Sir Nicholas Serota and housing a major collection of modern and contemporary work, the museum attracted 5.25 million visitors in its first year and now has a global standing. It has become a blueprint for urban cultural regeneration after helping to transform London’s South Bank and hosts significant exhibitions. The renovation by Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron kept much of the original industrial features and the building’s repurposed former engine house, at 35m high and 152m long, famously hosts monumental site-specific installations for the annual Turbine Hall Commission. Memorable examples are Olafur Eliasson’s smoldering sun in “The Weather Project” in 2003 and Ai Weiwei’s sea of “Sunflower Seeds” in 2010. Must-see works in the permanent collection include Marcel Duchamp’s “Fountain” (1917/64), Andy Warhol’s “Marilyn Diptych” (1962) and Guerrilla Girls’ “Do Women Have to be Naked to Get into the Met. Museum?” (1989). In 2016, Tate Modern opened the major Switch House extension, now named the Blavatnik Building, increasing its gallery space by 60%, including the redeveloped Tanks—subterranean spaces for performance, dance and film.