Occupying a space at the centre of Tate Britain within the foundation of the oldest part of the building’s structure, the Archive Gallery draws on Tate's vast holdings of artworks, sketchbooks, letters, photographs, publications and other fascinating material. Changing exhibitions are regularly organised in this space by archivists, librarians, curators and artists, showcasing treasures from our library and archive collections.
Tate Library is a centre of excellence for research on British art since 1500 and international art since 1900. Its collections include over 400,000 monographs and catalogues, 10,000 artists’ books and zines, 3,000 journals, audio and video recordings, ephemera, and half a million press cuttings.
Tate Archive holds over a million items relating to artists, art world figures and art organisations in Britain from 1900 to the present day. Collection highlights include papers created by Francis Bacon, Kenneth Clark Barbara Hepworth, Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore, Graham Sutherland and Walter Sickert.
Explore highlights from our archive of items relating to British artists since 1900, including Gilbert & George, Eduardo Paolozzi and Anne Estelle Rice.
The Archive Gallery with Paul Noble’s inaugural display, Past the Future © Tate Photography
Document or Artwork? display of artists' publications from Tate Library