Tate Britain has announced the largest ever grant to Tate Archive from the Marie-Louise von Motesiczky Charitable Trust. The Archive Gallery has also been renamed and reopened with a new display.
In recognition of the gift, the Archive Gallery at Tate Britain has now been permanently renamed the Marie-Louise von Motesiczky Archive Gallery.
Alex Farquharson, Director of Tate Britain, said: “This generous grant by the Marie-Louise von Motesiczky Charitable Trust is a fitting and lasting tribute to one among many émigré cultural figures who have enriched this country in inestimable ways.
“This and other grants by her trust has helped to cement Tate Archive’s reputation as a centre of excellence for the study of émigré artists and art writers particularly those who fled Europe before the Second World War, which now number over 50 such collections.”
Marie-Louise von Motesiczky Archive Gallery at Tate
The Marie-Louise von Motesiczky Archive Gallery reopened at Tate Britain on October 7. It displays more than 350 items, drawing on the personal papers of Motesiczky.
The display also features related Tate Archive collections and paintings, and is part of a changing programme in the Archive Gallery.
It marks 80 years since Motesiczky arrived in the UK. She left Vienna immediately after Hitler’s annexation of Austria in 1938, and moved to England in 1939.
New display has reopened with more than 350 items
The attraction also explores the impact of exile on Motesiczky’s art, and brings to life her family background.
Motesiczky created more than 300 paintings, mainly portraits, self-portraits and still-lifes. Many of her works hang in major public art galleries globally, including Tate.
The Marie-Louise von Motesiczky Charitable Trust has supported Tate Archives since 2012, when Tate was presented with the personal papers of Marie-Louise von Motesiczky.
Frances Carey, Chair of the Marie-Louise von Motesiczky Charitable Trust, said: “Tate has done Marie-Louise proud.
“It is so important for archival material of this kind to be properly looked after and made available in person and online.
“Tate’s facilities and expertise ensure that people everywhere can understand the trajectory of not just a single individual but a whole milieu, and a chapter in history which resonates to this day.”
Meanwhile, Tate Britain is the latest museum to use augmented reality, partnering with Facebook on a Spark AR-powered art exhibit called ‘The Virtual Wing’.
Images: Tate
