Tate St Ives offers a programme of international modern and contemporary art presented in the unique context of St Ives. Situated on Porthmeor Beach, the gallery building, designed by architects David Shalev and Eldred Evans, opened in 1993 and celebrates the modernist legacy of the town’s international artist colony.
Since the late nineteenth century two 'schools' of art have grown up in west Cornwall, at Newlyn and St Ives. In particular, St Ives became internationally known for the modernist art produced by artists associated with the town and its surrounding area from the 1920s onwards.
Tate St Ives, which opened in 1993, celebrates the dynamic spirit of the artists who lived and worked in the town throughout the twentieth century, with a broad programme of temporary exhibitions and displays encompassing the re-examination of modernism in St Ives, the best of international contemporary art, special commissions and works from the Tate Collection.
The displays at Tate St Ives change three times a year, generally in January, May and October. These temporary exhibitions focus on a particular artist or theme.