Modern art where it was made: abstraction, sculpture and the restless Atlantic brought together above Porthmeor Beach.
- British modernism and postwar abstraction
- Artists associated with St Ives and West Cornwall
- Painting inspired by coastlines, weather and geological formations
- Sculpture exploring organic and geometric form
- International modern and contemporary art
- Ceramics and the region’s studio-craft tradition
- Immersive installations and new commissions
- Atlantic views that become part of the gallery experience
Collection highlights
- Barbara Hepworth, Curved Form (Trevalgan), 1956
- Patrick Heron, Harbour Window with Two Figures: St Ives: July 1950, 1950
- Patrick Heron, Green and Purple Painting with Blue Disc: May 1960, 1960
- Alfred Wallis, P.Z. 11, c. 1928
- Peter Lanyon, Lost Mine, 1959
- Ben Nicholson, Feb 28-53 (vertical seconds), 1953
- Marlow Moss, Balanced Forms in Gunmetal on Cornish Granite, 1956–57
Worth the trip—but experience it as part of St Ives, not as an isolated museum.
Tate St Ives is smaller than its name may suggest, and its rotating collection means that not every celebrated St Ives artist will always be represented by a major work. Its real strength is the dialogue between art, architecture, town and coast.
Visit the galleries first, then walk onto Porthmeor Beach and look back towards the museum.
Nearby route ideas
St Ives modernism · 4–5 hours
Tate St Ives → Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden → Penwith Gallery
Begin with the wider history of St Ives modernism at Tate. Continue to Hepworth’s former home and studio, where many bronzes remain in the garden positions chosen by the artist. Finish at Penwith Gallery, housed in a former pilchard-packing complex.
The Penwith Society was founded in 1949 by artists including Hepworth, Ben Nicholson, Peter Lanyon, Bernard Leach and Wilhelmina Barns-Graham. Its winter exhibitions therefore provide a living continuation of the history presented at Tate.
West Cornwall: art in the landscape · Full day
Tate St Ives → Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens → Newlyn and Penzance
After Tate, travel by car or taxi towards Penzance and Tremenheere, where contemporary sculpture is installed among subtropical planting overlooking St Michael’s Mount. Continue to Newlyn Art Gallery and The Exchange in Penzance for contemporary exhibitions connected to Cornwall’s continuing artistic culture.
This route is best in September and October. Tremenheere usually closes from early November until mid-February, making it unsuitable for a December itinerary.
About the venue
Worth the trip
Tate St Ives is one of the rare museums where the landscape is part of the collection. The sea, granite cliffs, shifting weather and unusually intense light help explain why artists including Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson, Alfred Wallis, Peter Lanyon, Patrick Heron and Wilhelmina Barns-Graham transformed this small Cornish town into an international centre of modern art.
© Tate St Ives
