Page 51 - Studio International - January 1969

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Gallery 15
August 1964
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Gallery 15
February 1967
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Gallery 15
October 1968

group of works by the Vorticists in which the rather than for an even text-book unfolding of the Mermaid, when it was passing through Lon-
Tate is particularly strong positively gains by the history of art. It is in fact very much the don, the tapestry commissioned from Harold
being hung in a somewhat crowded way; Gal- policy of the Gallery to acquire works in suffi- Cohen by B.P., and William Scott's large wall
ery 20 which contains works by Ben Nicholson, cient number to show certain artists in depth. painting for a hospital in Ireland. We must be
Mondrian and related painters and sculptors One has only to think of the Blake collection free to take advantage of the unexpected
I feel no wish to change although it took its and the splendid collections which have been opportunity to show perhaps a small group of
present form nearly two years ago. On the made of works by Moore and Barbara Hep- things which happen to be available and which
whole symmetrical hanging as a principle has worth. This imbalance I see as a positive vir- would otherwise evade the long term pro-
been abandoned at the Tate except where its tue, providing it complements the central aim grammes of exhibition making.
use can make a special point. The departure of representing the fundamental steps in the It may seem paradoxical that with a col-
in general from even and regular spacing of development of twentieth century art by major lection which is growing so fast we should be
pictures can show paintings in quite a new works. deliberately reducing the number of works on
light to both the staff and the public, as well Clearly in any large collection there must exhibition. Visitors are likely to find some im-
as varying the pace of the visitor's experience be a basis of arrangement which necessarily portant works and perhaps some especially
of the works, thus helping to make it more changes slowly, if only because of the simple important to them not on view at a particular
fresh and direct. physical problem that radical alteration in- time, but what we hope to demonstrate is that
From time to time the Tate is inevitably volves. At the same time one tries to retain a a great deal more pleasure is possible from
criticized for showing too much work by in- certain flexibility which will allow the Tate to seeing a few works of art well than from having
dividual artists, as in the case of Turner. But show small but significant groups of works to face a long series of rooms containing a babel
I believe that most great collections are mem- suddenly available for a short period, such as of different voices. q
orable for extraordinary richnesses of this kind the Matisse 'papier découpé', The Parakeet and