Tate rejects gift of turbine blade

Trustees of the Tate modern have decided not to accept the wind turbine blade, ‘The Gift’, given to the gallery by protestors Liberate Tate. The group gave the 16.5m blade to the gallery in July to protest their links with oil giant BP, alongside official documentation gifting it to the nation. The Tate said that “in line with the current strategy, commitments and priorities for the Collection and the size of the object in relation to existing pressures on collection care – the offer of The Gift is declined.” They also said if the blade was not collected within seven days they would “recycle” it. Liberate Tate has responded with five questions for Tate, asking if there was any previous size-related policy for artwork and if ex-BP Chief Executive and current Tate chair Lord Browne had led the committee that decided The Gift’s fate. Sharon Palmer from Liberate Tate said: “We are not disappointed for us as artists – our future work will continue to be seen at Tate as long as BP is supported by Tate…but we are disappointed for what this decision says about the present nature of the institution that is Tate.”