LONDON

A short taxi ride takes us to Bankside and the Tate Modern which is the national gallery of international modern art. Created in the year 2000 from a disused power station designed in 1933 by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott - who was also responsible for the famous red British telephone box, we so associate with London - the building has been converted by the leading Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron, whose plans have respected the integrity of the original design. The most noticeable change to the exterior of the building is a new two-storey glass structure spanning the length of the roof which not only provides natural light into the galleries on the top floors, but also houses a stunning café offering outstanding views across London. A remarkable combination of the old and the new. The vast space is very impressive and in the short time we had we particularly wanted to see the Open Systems: Rethinking Art c.1970 (till 18th September), this remarkable exhibition brings together the works of international artists who radically rethought the object of art in the late 1960s and 1970s. They sought to connect with the increasingly urgent political developments of the decade and make their work more responsive to the world around them. There is Andy Warhol's portrait of Mao-Tse-Tung that dates from 1972, to commemorate President Nixon's historic visit to Beijing! This is very interesting exhibition though rather "highbrow" for me, and a little difficult to understand without the aid of the catalogue! We have to dash now as time is running out......quick quick let's cross THE BRIDGE.

www.tate.org.uk

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