Art Insight #24: Frances Morris

Director of Tate Modern

Frances Morris first made her bond with Tate as a curator in 1987. In January 2016, as the first 'British' and 'female', she became the new director. This is the result of her achievement on bringing Tate to the front line of the contemporary art. Whenever the museum needed new innovation, she made the appropriate opportunities through original planning and challenge.

She is also an expert who successfully organized grand-scale retrospectives, from Louise Bourgeois in 2007, Yayoi Kusama in 2012, to Agnes Martin in 2015. Morris has been faithful to given roles and appealed her strength whenever needed. We met Morris, who now leads not a single exhibition or a collection, but a contemporary art museum, and heard about her ambitions and plans.

The most important role for Tate now is to help enable broad audiences to make contact with visual arts and to do so in a new way. - Frances Morris -

Q. The opening of the new Tate Modern was a significant moment for the Contemporary Art world, with many flying to London to visit Tate. Please could you tell us more about the event?

We had a great opening weekend. It was a moment in time when it felt like Tate Modern was the center of the universe, with people of every nationality, age and language visiting from all over the world.

Q. As a director of Tate Modern, what was the highlight of the opening of the new Tate Modern? What was your main focus before the opening, and what would you say it led to?

There was a huge sense of celebration that London now had a museum of modern and contemporary art that was not just in an old building but in this fantastically beautiful and elegant new building. In a sense that perfect marriage of old and new is a mirror of the collection, which includes art from 100 years ago as well as brand new work.

Q. What has changed with the opening of the new Tate Modern and how do the spaces differ?

The old building – the Boiler House – now links with the new Switch House on three levels and it’s fantastic to see visitors now going backwards and forwards between the two. There are dazzling new spaces throughout, including the return of our subterranean Tanks, intriguing and welcoming areas to hang out, to interact, to learn and debate, as well as beautiful galleries for quiet contemplation. As we were building this new Tate Modern, the curators, supported by our brilliant acquisition committees, were also building the collection. You can now see more international art, more art by women, and great new installations. An amazing 75% of the works currently on display have been acquired since 2000.

Q. As the new director of Tate Modern, what do you think is the most important role of Tate Modern in the 21st century?

The most important role for Tate now is to help enable broad audiences to make contact with visual arts and to do so in a new way. This is not an era for telling people what to do – it’s an era for inviting people to come in and get engaged, spend time here and share their opinions. So I think we can act as a catalyst to connect a broad new audiences with the amazing art we have in this building.

Q. Could you tell us about the future of Tate Modern?

My vision for Tate Modern over the next few years is one that is even more international and diverse. We want to keep expanding the traditional stories of modern art to encompass different views from around the world. It’s an incredible opportunity to see art in fresh and exciting ways. With so much more space to show art, I’m delighted everyone can now find their favourite works in the collection, but there are also new surprises here and hopefully some icons of the future.

Q. Could you say few words about Philippe Parreno’s work now in the Turbine Hall and his collaboration with experts in various fields to realise the project and installation?

Philippe Parreno is an artist who seems to be able to see into the future, and bring together these incredible new technologies with his own ideas about what constitutes great art. His imagination knows no bounds – he is interested in literature, drama, film, science, music and performance – and he draws on the talents of other individuals in a very collaborative way. So although this commission is the work of one artist, he is almost like the director of the project, bringing together unique skills and experiences into this work. One of the interesting things about contemporary art now is that people often expect to get an immediate reaction, whereas this project encourages us to spend a much longer period of time absorbing it. We have carpet on the floor so people can sit, they can come at different times of day and spend 10 minutes or an hour, and every one of those visits will be completely different. It’s not configured on a single pattern or rhythm but it will evolve and change through time, so your own experience is utterly unique.
Q. Tate Modern collaborates with renowned corporations through partnerships. What do you think the Hyundai Commission: Philippe Parreno will mean for the public and artists?

The partnership allows us to invite some of the great artists of our age to make great projects for the Turbine Hall. Every time an artist has taken on this space, they have done something unexpected, and that’s what is so beautiful about it. There is no other space like this in the world, so any artist who takes it on finds that it changes the way they work. Hyundai Motor Company has fostered a uniquely supportive environment for this, which underpins experimentation and risk-taking. They have committed to support these commissions for 10 years, allowing us to think not just about this year and next year but about how we would like these projects to unfold over the next decade. Being free to develop that vision is very exciting.

Q. What is your idea of an ideal relationship between museums and corporations?

The most important thing is to ensure that we have real freedom, and what’s wonderful about Hyundai’s sponsorship is that their incredible generosity has come with such a light touch. There is a real belief at Hyundai in the importance of experimentation and innovation and the necessity of culture to be at the heart of our lives.

Learn more about the Hyundai Commission 2016: Philippe Pareeno ‘Anywhen’

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Installation view of Expanded Painting

Photo courtesy Tate Photography
Marcel Duchamp <Fountain> 1917 (replica 1964)

Porcelain, 360 x 480 x 610 mm
Tate. Purchased with assistance from the Friends of the Tate Gallery 1999
© Succession Marcel Duchamp/ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2016
Pupils from Charlotte Sharman Primary School attended the special schools preview day, A.S.S.E.M.B.L.Y., and were the first members of the public to visit the new Tate Modern

Photo courtesy Tate Photography
Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster <Séance de Shadow Ⅱ(bleu)> 1998

Tate. Purchased 2008
Sheela Gowda <Behold> 2009

Human hair and car bumpers
Overall display dimensions variable
Purchased with funds provided by the South Asia Acquisitions Committee 2014
Pablo Picasso <The Three Dancers> 1925

Oil paint on canvas, 2153 x 1422 mm
Tate. Purchased with a special Grant-in-Aid and the Florence Fox Bequest with assistance from the Friends of the Tate Gallery and the Contemporary Art Society 1965 © Succession Picasso/DACS 2016
Roni Horn <Pink Tons> 2009

Glass, 1100 x 1200 x 1200 mm, 4514 kg
Purchased with funds provided by Tate Americas Foundation, the North American Acquisitions Committee, the Art Fund, Tate Members, Tate Patrons, the artist and with additional assistance from Dominque Levy in honor of Dorothy Berwin 2016
© Roni Horn, courtesy Hauser & Wirth, London
Photo: Tate Photography
Gustav Metzger <Liquid Crystal Environment> 1965, remade 2005

5 control units, liquid crystals and slide, 35 mm, 5 projections, colour
22 min overall display dimensions variable
Purchased 2006 ⓒ Gustav Metzger
Marvin Gaye Chetwynd <Hermitos Children, the pilot episode> 2008

Tate. Presented by Tate Members 2010

Profile

Director of Tate Modern Frances Morris was born in London in 1958. Morris studied history of art at the University of Cambridge and attended the Courtauld Institute of Art where she received a master's degree. Her career started at the Tate Gallery as curator in 1987, she was the Head of Displays at Tate Modern (2000–2006) and also the Director of Collections. Since January 2016, she has served as the institution’s first Briton and woman director.

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