| Administrative History | Tate Liverpool was conceived as a new provincial gallery to increase access to the national collection of modern art. Its displays programme has depended not only on drawing upon the strengths of the Tate Collection; it has also been shaped by the Liverpool audience, introducing a balanced selection of twentieth century art to an audience in many cases unfamiliar with such work.
Under Richard Francis' direction, Tate Liverpool was conceived as a collection of exhibitions and displays changing at different rates which frequently sought to make connections between its displays and Tate Liverpool's exhibitions programme.
The first two displays hosted in the ground floor galleries Surrealism and Mark Rothko's Seagram murals drew mainly upon the Tate collection and both of them remained on show for nine months. This established a practice for the ground floor displays programme, which presented the work of a major twentieth century artist alongside a theme or group, whilst the second floor hosted a display of Tate's twentieth century sculpture collection which remained in place for three years. With gallery invigilators trained to talk informally and authoritatively about the works on show, Tate Liverpool attracted over 1.4 million visitors in its first two years of operation, encouraging an audience with almost no experience of modern or contemporary art. |
| Custodial History | The earliest records have been transferred from Tate Liverpool Director's office. Thereafter records have been transferred by Tate Liverpool Exhibitions and Displays Department and Tate Liverpool Publications |