Art World Braced For Tate-Extra

Adventurous plans to build a new huge extension - described as a cut-glass ziggurat - at the Tate Modern art gallery in London will be unveiled this week to warm applause from large parts of the architectural world and some criticism from design experts. The Twentieth Century Society, which was consulted on the plans, said the stepped pyramid extension - to be shown for the first time on Tuesday - detracts from the architectural importance of the existing gallery and warns that it has 'serious issues' with the plan. The extension will reach a height of 100 feet, more than 30 feet above the main part of the Tate Modern building and will add significantly to the art gallery space provided on the South Bank site. The criticism comes after a difficult week for the Tate. Last Tuesday, it was plunged into controversy following a nine-month investigation by the Charity Commission, which discovered that it paid £600,000 to artist Chris Ofili, one of its trustees, for a set of paintings. In doing so, it did not seek independent valuations or the permission of the commission, breaking the law. For the full story - click the title Irish Art