
MM Editor•Apr 19, 2026
Tate St Ives — The Tate by Cornwall's Sea, Beside Hepworth's Studios
At a Glance
Tate St Ives opened June 1993 on the Cornish coast, doubled in 2017 by Jamie Fobert. It anchors the legacy of the St Ives School — Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson, Alfred Wallis, Peter Lanyon.
A Fishing Village of Abstraction
Nicholson and Hepworth moved in 1939; the 1950s brought Gabo, Lanyon, Heron, Hilton. Tate's 1993 museum on the old gasworks site formalised the town's art history.
Highlights
- Sea-facing semicircular window in the 1993 building.
- St Ives School permanent collection.
- 2017 Fobert extension — 1,200 m² of column-free gallery.
- Combined ticket with Barbara Hepworth Museum & Sculpture Garden.
- Porthmeor Studios walk.
Visiting Tips
5h30 train from Paddington via St Erth. £13; £15.50 combined. Plan an overnight — the town deserves it.