英國最頂尖的兩家藝術博物館，英國國家美術館和泰特美術館，經過四年的磨合，終于基本達成一致，對雙方館藏珍品的分界年限漸漸不再過度計較。
根據兩個美術館在1996年達成的協議，國家美術館應該收藏1900年之前的國際藝術作品，而泰特則應該更多地側重在英國藝術，而且是1500至當代的英國藝術品。但公眾漸漸發現，兩個美術館之間的分界日趨模糊。日前在國家美術館開幕的畢加索特展，很明顯，在一般人的眼光中，這應該是泰特的領域。
近年來，國家美術館不斷地挑戰界限，去年三月，國家美術館的新館長曾公開表示，“國家美術館的建立原本就是為收藏當代藝術所用的。”
雖然雙邊的最新共識沒有公開，但根據推測雙方仍認同1996年的協議方向，但對于1900年的分界線，泰特認可國家美術館可以收購19世紀畫家在20世紀的作品，如塞尚，莫奈和雷諾阿。同時，泰特也可以購買20世紀主要畫家在19世紀的作品。同時，雙方在舉辦展覽時，不需要拘泥于這個時間界限。
下面是兩個美術館本年度內的主要展覽：
National Gallery
From 25 February until 7 June: Picasso: Challenging the Past.
Tate Modern
Until 17 May: Rodchenko and Popova. The twin heroes of Russian constructivism.
From 25 February until 25 May: Roni Horn aka Roni Horn. The first UK museum show for the American photographer and sculptor
From 13 October until 5 April 2010: Miroslaw Balka. The Polish artist is the latest figure to take on the challenge of the Turbine Hall.
GALLERY GIANTS REACH UNEASY TRUCE OVER GREAT 1900 DIVIDE
20 Feb 2009
The two titans of the British art world, the National Gallery and the Tate, have finally edged towards a truce after four years of disagreement about where the cut-off between their collections should be. The armistice comes just days before the opening of the National Gallery's latest blockbuster, devoted to Picasso - an artist whose natural territory is, arguably, Tate Modern rather the National Gallery.
Broadly, Tate Modern covers international art from 1900, the National Gallery houses international art to 1900, and Tate Britain is the custodian of British art from 1500 to the present day.
But the National Gallery has been challenging this strict boundary in recent years. Last March, its then new director, Nicholas Penny, noted publicly that "the National Gallery was built to house contemporary art".
The latest agreement was not made available to the Guardian, and Penny and Serota declined to comment. However, it is understood that it affirms the same principles as those laid out in 1996. There are provisos to the "1900 rule": the Tate recognises that the National Gallery may wish to acquire 20th-century works by artists usually associated with the 19th (eg Cézanne, Monet and Renoir) - and vice versa. The institutions need not confine exhibitions to the period of their collections. Both agree not to seek bequests outside their basic timeframes.
（Source: Guardian，英國使館文化教育處提供）
