Tate Britain’s re-hang has given it a jolt of fresh new life

I was at Tate Britain on Wednesday night for its summer party and to see its controversial rehang, I can only say don’t let the negative reviews keep you away.

Yes, the Tate has prioritised social and political history over quality, and delivered it in some rooms with painful, sometimes crass commentaries, but these are largely contained to the 18th-century paintings (abolition, pollution, Travellers, feminism, no box is left unticked here).

Overall the results are still stunning. The room of watercolours from William Blake and Chris Ofili are totally absorbing. I felt the freshly painted rooms and new juxtapositions meant I could appreciate Tate Britain wholly anew. And I enjoyed that more contemporary female artists were given space (though some of the choices were baffling, given what they have left in their vaults).

But don’t take it from me or the reviewers: go see for yourself.