Tate Britain bosses have defended themselves against claims that they are contemptuous of visitors.
An editorial in the May edition of The Burlington Magazine said there had been an “exodus” of senior curators at the gallery, which is having a £45 million upgrade, and a re-hang of the permanent collection “shows a contemptuous attitude to the collection and to its audience”.
It also claimed there was an undue emphasis on modern works.
A Tate Britain spokesman conceded that half the works on show date from post-1900, but added that when building work is completed next spring the renovated galleries “will represent the collection in a more representative way”.
The number of curators for the pre-1900 collection had remained the same but a review had recognised some periods were “unrepresented”.
