Tate Takes Us Back to ‘The 90s,’ Britain’s Hedonistic Heyday

Summary

• Tate Britain will open The 90s, a new collection of works celebrating UK culture’s rebel years
• Curated by Edward Enninful, the exhibition will include works by some of the most influential names across art and fashion, including Juergen Teller, Nick Knight, Damien Hirst, Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen and more

There’s nothing quite like ‘90s Britain. As the country recovered from a bruising recession, a punkish hedonism rippled across pop culture. Britpop bands fought for chart supremacy, Young British Artists were shaking up the game and the Kate Moss-fronted ‘Cool Brittania’ era came into full swing.

This October, a new, major exhibition at Tate Britain will revisit the thrill of an era it describes as “a new dawn of optimism, freedom and rebellion.” Curated by Edward Enninful, the former editor-in-chief of British Vogue, The 90s transports us back to the decade that sculpted UK culture into what it is today.

The showcase brings together iconic images by photographers including Juergen Teller, Nick Knight, David Sims and Corinne Day, shown alongside the work of Damien Hirst, Gillian Wearing and Yinka Shonibare. Fashion collections by some of the decade’s most defining designers — Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen and Hussein Chalayan — will also be on show.

One of the most influential voices in fashion and media culture today, Enninful makes a fitting curator for the moment. Appointed as i-D’s fashion director at just 18, Enninful, who now heads EE72, has held influential roles at Vogue, Vogue Italia and W Magazine throughout his career.

On the heels of his departure from British Vogue, he stepped into his first curatorial role for Robert Mapplethorpe’s March 2024 show at Thaddaus Ropac. More recently, he hosted a series of 90s-themed artist talks at Art Basel Paris 2025 ahead of the Tate exhibition.

The 90s will be on view in London from October 8, 2026 through February 14, 2027. Head to Tate Britain’s website for more information.

Tate Britain
Millbank,
London SW1P 4RG,
United Kingdom