Things to see and do Saint-Ives

St Ives has beautiful sandy beaches. Porthmeor Beach, 700 m long, just opposite the Tate Gallery is the favorite of surfers.

The Tate St Ives, little sister of the London Tates, was inaugurated by Prince Charles in June 1993. The quality collection features works by local and regional artists including Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth. Also on view are temporary exhibitions by contemporary artists, with works regularly borrowed from the London head office. The museum has several floors and the galleries are lit by bay windows with views of the beach and the sea. The building itself is worth a visit. Inside, each room studies a specific theme. The Tate St Ives, like the Tate Modern in London, plays on pedagogy. For example, it is a perfect link between the artists of St Ives, the rest of the English artists and international artists such as Mondrian, Matisse or Braque. The elaborate scenography draws interesting parallels and also connects St Ives with the great artistic and historical periods. In the end, all these artists were friends: Hepworth helped Mondrian to move to London. Many also came to Cornwall and fell in love with the landscapes of this enchanting region. Don't miss the paintings of Alfred Wallis, a Cornish fisherman and artist. We love this naive, authentic art. Many artists have been inspired by this fisherman who paints to return to a certain form of simplicity in art. The Tate St Ives, is really a beautiful artistic stop not to be missed in the heart of this city of art and culture.

Barbara Hepworth is one of the great names in British abstract sculpture. She worked with Henri Moore, Picasso, Mondrian... She lived in St Ives from 1949 until her death in 1975. Her studio has been preserved as it was at the time, and the museum, consisting of two rooms and a graceful garden, exhibits some of her sculptures in wood, stone or bronze. It is in the latter that the artist's greatest works are housed, between forms and volumes, animal and vegetal.