American Art under Norman Reid, 1964–79

Norman Reid’s directorship of the Tate Gallery was marked by several high-profile and sometimes controversial acquisitions and exhibitions of American art. This essay draws upon archival sources to provide detailed accounts of these important episodes in Tate’s history – from the purchase of Roy Lichtenstein’s Whaam! in 1966 to the so-called ‘Bricks scandal’ surrounding Carl Andre’s Equivalent VIII ten years later – and considers Reid’s role in balancing the ambitions of his curators, the expectations of trustees and the demands of visitors.