Research at Tate involves a range of subject disciplines, including art history, conservation and conservation science, collection management, education and museology, as well as a variety of research methods and outputs.

Projects often bring together specialists through interdisciplinary collaborations and partnerships with organisations such as museums, universities, other Independent Research Organisations and industrial partners.

Research helps us encourage new knowledge, address practical problems, develop new tools for practice, and allows us to contribute to broader debates.

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Highlights

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Research Hubs

  • Two conservators working on a painting

    Collection Care Research

    Developing new knowledge to explore the many challenges related to the conservation, management and care of Tate’s collection

  • Hyundai Tate Research Centre: Transnational

    Exploring multiple art histories from different parts of the world and transforming our understanding of international art

  • A group discusses the ethics of research and participatory arts practice

    Tate Research Centre: Learning

    Promoting research and knowledge exchange to inform practice in the field of learning in galleries

  • Cornelia Parker's Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View 1991, pieces of an exploded garden shed suspended in space, casting dramatic jagged shadows

    British Art Network

    Bringing together professionals working on British art including curators, researchers and academics. Membership is always open and free.

Read, Browse, Explore

  • Henry Moore OM, CH Family Group 1949, cast 1950–1

    Publications

    Our large-scale publications present in-depth research into key areas of interest, from Henry Moore to performance at Tate

  • Vanessa Bell, Abstract Painting c.1914

    In Focus

    In Focus projects examine artworks in Tate’s collection from a range of perspectives, reflecting contemporary approaches to object-based scholarship

  • Cleaning Modern Oil Paintings research project

    Features

    Browse a growing range of interviews and articles related to research activity at Tate

Projects

  • GREENART

    1 October 2022 – 30 September 2025

    This project will research ways to preserve cultural heritage using environmentally friendly ‘green’ sustainable materials.

  • Precarious Movements

    2021–2024

    Precarious Movements: Choreography and the Museum is a project that aims to bring artists, researchers and institutions into dialogue about best practice to support the choreographer and the museum, and to sustain momentum in theory and practice around dance and the visual arts.

  • A colourful and chaotic collage of human and animal figures in a landscaped garden with city beyond, with text on coloured squares like sticky notes. On one side, road signs point in opposite directions, reading 'you do' and 'not belong'.

    The Art of Engagement: Foundations for an International Learning Community in Social Practice

    Starting April 2022, the Art of Engagement research project explores how the teaching of social practice can be improved

  • Red book cover with white abstract pattern, and the title in bright blue text, with 'BLACK' and 'WATERS' running horizontally and 'Crossing' running vertically upwards between the 'L' and 'A' of 'BLACK'

    Provisional Semantics

    Addressing the challenges of representing multiple perspectives within an evolving digitised national collection

  • Musicians rehearse for a performance of Tony Conrad’s Ten Years Alive on the Infinite Plain 1972

    Reshaping the Collectible: When Artworks Live in the Museum

    Developing innovative models for the conservation and management of recent and contemporary works of art

  • Image from research day © Tate Photography

    Inclusive Futures

    Exploring inclusion, knowledge production and change-making within Tate

  • Photograph a user using the Landscapes Reimagined app

    Landscapes Reimagined App

    An augmented-reality app created by Factory 42 with Tate and Shanghai Museum to allow users to engage with art in new and innovative ways

  • A person wearing a white face mask and blue protective gloves operates a piece of machinery. They are in a lab, surrounded by large machines and cylinders.

    Upgrading Conservation Science Infrastructure

    A substantial grant from the new Capability for Collections Fund will enable transformative upgrades to the conservation science research infrastructure at Tate.

  • The Preserving Immersive Media project explores how to effectively care for artworks which use immersive technologies like virtual reality headsets

    Preserving Immersive Media

    Developing strategies for the preservation of artworks which utilise immersive media such as 360 video, real-time 3D, virtual, augmented and mixed reality

About Us

  • Research FAQs

    See our Research FAQs for more information and details on how to contact us

  • Tate Research Strategy

    Mapping out the future and our vision to create a vibrant research culture across Tate

  • Anisa Hawes running a Webrecorder workshop, part of Lives of Net Art in Tate Exchange at Tate Modern, 4 April 2019

    Tate Studentships

    Tate hosts doctoral students who gain experience and contribute to programmes and projects. Find out more and how to apply

  • The login screen of a computer with the name 'Mandy Merzaban' (current Brooks Fellow); postcard of a hole in plaster, a Rachel Whiteread poster, and above a shelf of books and files

    Brooks International Fellowship Programme

    The Brooks International Fellowship Programme has been providing global museum practitioners with opportunities to conduct research at Tate since 2014

Research Facilities

  • Tate Archive

    A wealth of material relating to the history of British art from 1900 to the present

  • Tate Library

    Explore our collection of books, catalogues and rare items relating to British art from 1500s and international art from c.1900

  • Photograph of visitors viewing watercolours in Tate's Prints and Drawings Room

    Prints and Drawings Rooms

    View drawings, prints and more from Tate’s collection not currently on display in the galleries

  • Art and Artists

    Artworks, films, articles, biographies, glossary terms and more. Explore Tate’s growing collection of British and international art

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