Tate Liverpool delays reopening until 2027 due to funding issues

Posted On February 6, 2025February 6, 2025

The Tate Liverpool art gallery has delayed its reopening until 2027 after it struggled to raise the funds for an earlier date.

The gallery initially closed in 2023 for £29.7 million worth of renovation work, which was expected to span two years. This transformation will see a full refurbishment with refurbished new social spaces.

However, with the changing landscape and funds becoming increasingly difficult, it is now expected to reopen in 2027. According to the gallery’s director Helen Legg, the renovation began before the pandemic when “raising money was a little easier in the climate.”

“It has become more difficult. Now we are close to achieving our goals. It’s taken us a little bit more time,” she added, per BBC. The gallery is close to its goal after securing £17.85 million from donations, including £10 million from the government and £6.6 million from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. They have also received donations from the Wolfson Foundation charity.

The renovation is expected to yield several benefits for the gallery, including a sharp increase in visitors, a better connection to the city, and more space for larger pieces of art. It will also be able to showcase more pieces from the National Collection.

However, one of the main advantages will be its connection to Liverpool, which Legg says was a main driver when refurbishing the space—to make it feel like it was exactly where it was supposed to be.

“One of the things that we really wanted to do was to be able to feel more rooted in Liverpool,” she said, adding: “I think there were times when you would walk around the galleries and you could have been in a museum anywhere in the world. So what we really want to do is open the windows that were bricked up in the 1990s.”

Last year, sister company Tate Britain came under fire for its funding ties to various Israeli projects and donors. This sparked significant backlash along with an open letter that over 1000 artists signed, taking a stand “against the artwashing of genocide and apartheid”.

According to the letter, the company had previously divested funds from Russia following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, urging many to call for them to execute a similar tactic in this circumstance. However, Tate has yet to respond to this discourse.

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