‘It's manky and awful', says man on mission to revive Tate Britain
Tate Britain may have the beauties of the pre-Raphaelites and the landscape delights of JMW Turner, but according to its chairman, it is 'awful'.
Roland Rudd said that parts of the gallery, branded as the home of British art, were not a great location to visit given their 'manky' features.
Rudd was speaking as he unveiled plans to create a £150 million endowment fund for Tate, which he said would be reserved for acquiring the world's best artworks and curators. Over £40 million has been contributed to the Tate Future Fund, started by Rudd, 64, who was appointed chairman in 2021 and who said he hoped it would be one of his legacies to the organisation, as well as fixing up Tate Britain.
'At the moment, let's be honest, when you go to Tate Britain it is awful,' Rudd said. 'You have got these rows of bushes [at the front] and they look very old, they look manky. People tend to relieve themselves behind them.
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