The Tate's new gallery turnercontemporary opened in Margate this week. The painter liked Margate for its big skies. It also has a wonderful sandy beach, now a blue flag beach so clean and safe for all the family, with the railway station right on the front but it all looks woefully run down and in need of some tlc so the new gallery was very welcome but I was horrified when I saw a photo of it. It's all covered with white tiles and looks like a public convenience. To be fair Kingston-on-Thames did some years ago open an art gallery in a public convenience but that had the merit of being cheap. What were the architects thinking? Why on earth didn't they make it all of glass so it would reflect said big skies. Nothing looks lovelier than clouds reflected in plate glass moving across the sky making the glass look as if it is melting and rippling in the sunlight, a portal to another dimension, the best sort of modern architecture. This tile-covered bit of mediocre municipality is horrible. The Mail reported that when Tracey Emin who comes from Margate saw it she wept. I'm not surprised. I despair!
To see for yourself visit http://www.turnercontemporary.org/
53 High Street, Margate, Kent CT9 1DX
01843 280261
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