£880,000 to bring major exhibitions to Tate Liverpool

The Northwest European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Programme is pleased to announce £880,000 of funding to support an exciting programme of major exhibitions at Tate Liverpool over the next three years.

The series of annual international exhibitions, which started in May with Colour Chart: Reinventing Colour, 1950 to Today, is an ambitious programme which aims to provide a highlight in the Northwest tourism calendar every summer up to 2011.

Building on the success of Gustav Klimt: Painting, Design and Modern Life in Vienna 1900 during Liverpool 08 and driving significant audiences over the 12 weeks of each exhibition, the programme will fuel the visitor economy, raise and improve the region's visitor offer and generate an estimated £40 million for the regional economy.

Colour Chart, currently running at Tate Liverpool until 13th September, addresses the impact of mass-produced colour on the art of the past sixty years. It features works by Andy Warhol and Damien Hirst among others and has previously only been seen at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Next year, Picasso: Peace and Freedom will explore Picasso's political commitment; featuring some of his important works related to war and peace from the 1940s onwards alongside a wide range of topical and contextual material.

Steven Broomhead, Chief Executive of the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), said:

"Building on the legacy of Liverpool 08 and the success of the Turner Prize and Gustav Klimt exhibitions, each of these exhibitions will be a highlight in the region's cultural calendar. The ambitious programme will bring international exhibitions to the Northwest and as well as raising awareness of the region's fantastic cultural offer they will have a significant economic impact. England's Northwest is a culturally dynamic region and exhibitions such as these demonstrate that we can deliver world-class visitor experiences year-on-year."

Councillor Phil Davies from the ERDF Programme Monitoring Committee said:

"I'm delighted that European funding is being invested in this project. It will enable the Tate to build on its excellent reputation as one of Merseyside's most popular attractions for tourism and visitors generally."

Lorraine Rogers, Chief Executive of Liverpool City Region's official Tourist Board The Mersey Partnership (TMP) said:

"Tate Liverpool is firmly established as one of this destination's major draws as a cultural venue presenting outstanding exhibitions. These attract significant numbers of visitors to the region. This successful bid is excellent news for Tate Liverpool, allowing them to stage further blockbusters such as Picasso: Peace and Freedom, bringing significant benefits for the wider visitor economy."