The 1957 Rehang of Tate’s Modern British Gallery: Displaying the Contemporary ‘British School’ in the Context of John Rothenstein’s Later Career

Abstract

When Tate’s modern British galleries reopened, refurbished and rehung, in 1957, the gallery’s Director John Rothenstein was entering the twilight of his career, yet within the new hang he introduced innovative approaches to display. This paper examines Rothenstein’s innovations and discusses his continued use of nationhood as an organising principle for displaying Tate’s permanent collection, revealing how it engaged with contemporary society and politics, including the Suez Crisis and questions of post-imperial national identity.