Free Display

Walk Through British Art

Explore art made in Britain, arranged by date

Visitors at Tate Britain looking at a Francis Bacon painting

Photo © Rikard Österlund

These rooms offer a chronological display of Britain’s greatest artists, taken from the collection. Instead of designated themes or movements, the display is is arranged by decade, so you can see an array of art made at any one moment.

Over the course of this year, we’re updating the Tate Britain collection displays. Different galleries will be closed at different times while this takes place. If you'd like to see a favourite work of art, please contact us before you visit. The work will be fully completed in 2023.

Tate Britain
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19 rooms in Walk Through British Art

1545–1640

The grand portraits in this room tell stories of migration and power. They date from the last years of the reign of Henry VIII to the time of Charles I

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Unknown artist, Britain, The Cholmondeley Ladies c.1600–10. Tate.

1640–1720

This is a time of profound change: of civil war, regicide, and political revolution. New ideas are born and new kinds of art flourish

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Joan Carlile, Portrait of an Unknown Lady 1650–5. Tate.

1720–1760

London is now the largest city in Europe, a hub of global trade and commerce. Artists like William Hogarth show us the many sides of this urban metropolis

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William Hogarth, Heads of Six of Hogarth’s Servants c.1750–5. Tate.

1760–1830

The first era of public art exhibitions begins, bringing new audiences to British art. This gallery recreates the spectacle of these early displays

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Sir Joshua Reynolds, Three Ladies Adorning a Term of Hymen 1773. Tate.

1760–1815

At first glance, this room presents a glamorous image of 18th century society, showing people from all walks of life

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George Romney, Mrs Johnstone and her Son (?) c.1775–80. Tate.

1776–1832

These are tumultuous times. Wars and revolutions, technology and trade transform lives across the globe. The art in this room reveals the different ways artists grapple with this turbulence

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John Simpson, Head of a Man, probably Ira Frederick Aldridge exhibited 1827. Tate.

1815–1905

Economic prosperity in Victorian Britain helps art become hugely popular. However, art only indirectly reflects the lives of ordinary people

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John Singer Sargent, Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose 1885–6. Tate.

1810–1930

In the 19th century thanks to the railway, artists start to work outside in natural settings with varied light and weather. They explore faster, more spontaneous ways of painting.

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John Singer Sargent, Claude Monet Painting by the Edge of a Wood ?1885. Tate.

1845–1905

The men and women of the Pre-Raphaelite circle question mainstream Victorian culture and ideas. They seek realism and relevance to modern times.

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painting of Ophelia laying face upwards in a lake, wearing an embroidered dress and holding flowers

Sir John Everett Millais, BtOphelia 1851–2Tate

1870–1905

Artists in Britain turn away from Victorian values, finding inspiration in individual experience.

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George Frederic Watts and assistants, Hope 1886. Tate.

1890–1915

The early years of the 20th century are characterised by the growing fight for women’s suffrage (the right to vote) and conflicts over workers’ rights and immigration

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Gwen John, Self-Portrait 1902. Tate.

1910–1915

British artists challenge traditional ways of seeing and representing the world through radical experiments with colour and form.

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Mark Gertler, Merry-Go-Round 1916. Tate.

1920–1940

Many artists in the 1920s and 1930s are increasingly engaged in political debate, as they imagine how they could play a part in building a better society.

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1930–1940

During the early 1930s, British artists become members of international art groups developed important friendships and allegiances.

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1940–1965

This is a time of instability, social change and dramatic geopolitical realignments. Artists give visual expression to the traumas of loss, destruction and displacement

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1955–1965

Artists believe that art has a role to play in re-establishing hope and rebuild society after the Second World War

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1955–1965

In the early 1960s, many artists question mainstream culture. They adopt a radical approach to life, integrating art into the environment

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1960–1970

Migration from former British colonies and new opportunities for artists from different social backgrounds enable a bold and daring visual culture in Britain. Simultaneously, marginalised social groups struggle for equal rights

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1965–1980

In an increasingly interdependent and interconnected world, artists begin working with ideas and images that can be rapidly transmitted and address social unrest in their work.

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Find out more

Audio Highlight Tour: 1540–1910

Listen to artists, curators, writers and historians talk about key artworks in the collection
Jacqueline Wilson's Magical Tour of Tate Britain

How can an art gallery inspire you to tell your own stories?
Responses to Tate's Collection by our BAME Network

Read how voices from our Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Network respond to the artworks in our collection

19 rooms in Walk Through British Art

1545–1640

1545–1640

1640–1720

1640–1720

1720–1760

1720–1760

1760–1830

1760–1830

1760–1815

1760–1815

1776–1832

1776–1832

1815–1905

1815–1905

1810–1930

1810–1930

1845–1905

1845–1905

1870–1905

1870–1905

1890–1915

1890–1915

1910–1915

1910–1915

1920–1940

1920–1940

1930–1940

1930–1940

1940–1965

1940–1965

1955–1965

1955–1965

1955–1965

1955–1965

1960–1970

1960–1970

1965–1980

1965–1980

Find out more

Audio Highlight Tour: 1540–1910

Jacqueline Wilson's Magical Tour of Tate Britain

Responses to Tate's Collection by our BAME Network

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