LIVERPOOL.- Tate Liverpool today announced that it is seeking tenders from architects to work with the gallery to achieve a major reimagining of its landmark gallery on Royal Albert Dock Liverpool.

When Tate Liverpool opened in 1988 it was a pioneer for arts-led regeneration; a gallery of international standing, in an iconic world city, designed by the leading architect of his generation, Sir James Stirling. Now the gallery has outlined the brief for a refurbishment of its gallery and public spaces that will enable it to thrive for the next thirty years.

The works will transform the welcome and usability of the building, increasing the gallery’s visibility on the waterfront and within the Albert Dock, easing the transition between social and gallery environments and offering more engaging routes through the building.

Following a grant from central Government of initial funding for this project, the gallery is seeking an architect to reimagine the gallery spaces to meet the scale and ambition of today’s most exciting artists, while creating social spaces that better connect with the city and its communities, creating an environment that is flexible and inviting and able to host people, art and ideas in equal part.

Established in 1988, Tate Liverpool helped establish a blueprint for a wave of new regional galleries, redefining the role of the museum in the life of a city.

Since 2019, the gallery has shown work by ground-breaking African American contemporary artists Theaster Gates and Arthur Jafa, whose work speaks about race relations in the USA and UK, staged the first major exhibition in the UK of American artist and activist Keith Haring as well as South Korean artists Moon Kyungwon and Jeon Joonho. More recently, Tate Liverpool responded to COVID-19 with an exhibition of portraits, created Aliza Nisenbaum, depicting NHS staff from Merseyside, unveiled the inaugural Art North West commission by Emily Speed and hosted the first UK retrospective of Glasgow- born Lucy McKenzie.

Alongside the inspiring exhibitions programme the gallery has an established reputation for delivering high quality work within the city’s communities. Projects such as Tackling the Blues, Home from Home and the ground-breaking work with prison education service Novus, sees the gallery engaged in a range of initiatives to support skills and employability, promote arts in education and creativity as a tool for social change that see it extend its influence beyond the walls of the gallery.