There is a source of tension raging across the art world lately: the conflict between accessibility and anti-intellectualism, as museums face the challenge of making art feel less elitist, less cold, and less boring without dumbing down to the point of meaninglessness. Tate Britain’s latest exhibition, “The 90s: Art and Fashion,” falls hard on the side of meaningless anti-intellectualism.

The exhibition is curated by Edward Enninful, who was most recently editor-in-chief of British Vogue but, more importantly for this exhibition, became the fashion director of the magazine i-D at the age of 18 in 1990 and led it through the turbulent, dynamic decade that is the subject of his show. Tate has never worked with a celebrity curator in this way before, and Enninful’s presence is strangely felt throughout the exhibition. A wedding gift he received from Steve McQueen—a photograph of McQueen’s hands—hangs on a wall.…