Tate St Ives
Museums & Galleries in st ives
World-class modern art gallery overlooking Porthmeor Beach.
Tate St Ives is a major modern and contemporary art gallery set directly above Porthmeor Beach, its curved white building designed to echo the forms of the surrounding coastline. Opened in 1993 and significantly expanded in 2017, the gallery is part of the Tate family of galleries and draws on the rich artistic heritage of St Ives, which has attracted painters and sculptors since the late nineteenth century.
The permanent collection focuses on the St Ives School and its associated artists, including Ben Nicholson, Barbara Hepworth, Patrick Heron, Terry Frost and Peter Lanyon. Their work, much of it inspired by the Cornish landscape and the quality of light in West Cornwall, is displayed in galleries where large windows frame views of the sea and sky that influenced the art on the walls. The connection between the work and the place it was made is central to the experience.
Alongside the permanent displays, Tate St Ives hosts a changing programme of temporary exhibitions that place local artists in dialogue with international contemporary art. The expanded gallery spaces, including a dramatic double-height gallery added during the 2017 renovation, allow for ambitious large-scale installations. A rooftop terrace offers panoramic views along the north Cornwall coast. The gallery also runs workshops, artist talks and educational events, and its combined ticket with the nearby Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden makes for a full day of art in St Ives.
