When it initially opened, art critics blasted Tate Britain for its decision to remove many of its masterpieces, as the national gallery abandoned the classics in order to display less serious pieces to appeal to the “new art history.” However, director Stephen Deuchar, who is leaving to take over the Art Fund after a decade-long run as the man in charge, has proved successful in quelling (and even exciting) the critics, while simultaneously keeping the masses happy. Tate Britain has achieved this balance by masterfully displaying the newest art it can find, along with pieces relevent to Britain’s cultural history, exceptional permanent (and semi-permanent) collections and various dazzling exhibitions.
An article from the Guardian praises Tate Britain’s exhibition ”Turner and the Masters,” stating:
Turner and the Masters is a tremendous climax to this run of shows. It has been seen as a show about competition – about Turner’s savage desire to outdo others, epitomised by the splash of red with which he once trounced Constable. Yet I didn’t really find myself thinking of it as a competition at all. Undoubtedly, Turner holds his own in the sometimes quixotic battles he fights – the only artist who slaughters him is Rembrandt.
Yet by bringing in European masterpieces, such as Rembrandt’s marvellous The Mill, what this exhibition really does is let us see the story of art through 19th-century eyes. It’s not a competition. In almost all the juxtapositions, you find yourself making nuanced comparisons rather than judging…
This exhibition, on display through January 2010, should not be missed – especially by those who value traditional art history and the masters.
