From prehistory to the modern day art has been in our lives, and two museums in Britain between them cover all periods - The British Museum and The Tate.
The British museum in London, is dedicated to the history of human culture and it has one of the largest collections in the world of over 8 million items. Established in 1753 the museum has a wide variety of exhibits from different cultures throughout history and throughout the globe. It has departments dedicated to, amongst others, Ancient Egypt, the Classical World and, the Middle East. It also has a department of prints and drawings which includes works by some of the greatest historical artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Goya and Picasso.
Whilst the British Museum has a comprehensive collection of historical art, the Tate Modern is dedicated to more contemporary works. It is the most visited art gallery in the world with almost 5 million visitors a year.
The Tate Modern in London is just one of five galleries - one in Liverpool, one in St Ives, two in London and one online - which together make up the Tate group, which houses the national collection of British art - and a good deal of international modern art too!