 Somerset House, home of the Courtauld | |
| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Established | 1932 (1932) |
Parent institution | University of London |
| Endowment | £41.7 million (2024)[1] |
| Budget | £31.6 million (2023/24)[1] |
| Chancellor | The Princess Royal (as Chancellor of theUniversity of London) |
| Director | Mark Hallett[2] |
| Students | 630 (2023/24)[3] |
| Undergraduates | 270 (2023/24)[3] |
| Postgraduates | 360 (2023/24)[3] |
| Location | , United Kingdom 51°30′39″N0°07′02″W / 51.51083°N 0.11722°W /51.51083; -0.11722 |
| Campus | Urban |
| Website | courtauld |
TheCourtauld Institute of Art (/ˈkɔːrtəʊld/), commonly referred to asThe Courtauld, is a self-governing college of theUniversity of London specialising in the study of thehistory of art andconservation.
The art collection is known particularly for itsFrench Impressionist andPost-Impressionist paintings and is housed in theCourtauld Gallery. The Courtauld is based inSomerset House, in theStrand inLondon. In 2019, the Courtauld's teaching and research activities temporarily relocated toVernon Square, London, while its Somerset House site underwent a major regeneration project.
The Courtauld was founded in 1932 through the philanthropic efforts of the industrialist and art collectorSamuel Courtauld, the diplomat and collectorLord Lee of Fareham, and the art historian SirRobert Witt.[4]
Originally the Courtauld was based inHome House, a townhouse designed byRobert Adam inPortman Square, Marylebone. The Strand block of Somerset House, designed byWilliam Chambers from 1775 to 1780, has housed the Courtauld since 1989.[4]
The Courtauld has been an independent college of the University of London since 2002.[5]
The Courtauld has featured several times on the BBC's arts programmeFake or Fortune.[6] In April 2020, during theCOVID-19 pandemic, the Institute offered digital "mini festivals" called "Open Courtauld Hour".[7][8]
The Courtauld Institute of Art is the major centre for the study of the history and conservation of art and architecture in the United Kingdom. It offers undergraduate and postgraduate teaching to around 400 students each year.[9] Degrees are awarded by the University of London.
The Courtauld was ranked first in the United Kingdom for History and History of Art inThe Guardian's 2011 University Guide. In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework,[10][11] it was confirmed in this rank for research quality.The Independent has called it "probably the most prestigious specialist college for the study of the history of art in the world".[12]
The Courtauld was ranked, again, first in theUnited Kingdom for History andHistory of Art inThe Guardian's 2017 University Guide.[13]
According to the 2014Research Excellence Framework, the Courtauld hosts the highest proportion of the UK's world-leading and internationally excellent research among all higher education institutions with 95% of research rated in the top two categories (4*/3*), 56% of which was rated in the 4* category, tied for highest in the UK withLondon Business School.[14]
The only undergraduate course offered by the Courtauld is a BA in the History of Art. This is a full-time course designed to introduce students to all aspects of the study of art history.[15]
Several taught courses are offered at postgraduate level:master's degrees in history of art,curating theart museum, the history ofBuddhist art, and theconservation ofwall paintings are taught alongside diploma courses in the conservation of easel paintings and the history of art.[16] Students in the history of art master's programme have to choose a specialisation ranging from antiquity to early modern to global contemporary artwork. Special options are taught in small class sizes of 5–10 students.
The Courtauld has two photographic libraries which originated as the private collections of two benefactors: the Conway Library, coveringarchitecture, architectural drawings, sculpture andilluminated manuscripts, named afterLord Conway of Allington, and the Witt Library, afterSir Robert Witt, covering paintings, drawings andengravings, and containing over two million reproductions of works by over 70,000 artists.[17][18] In 2009, it was decided that the Witt Library would not continue to add new material to the collection,[19] and in 2017 a mass digitisation project which will make both Witt and Conway items available online commenced as part of Courtauld Connects.[20][18]
The book library is one of the UK's largest holdings of art history books, periodicals and exhibition catalogues. There is a slide library which also covers films, and an IT suite.[21][22]
An online image collection provides access to more than 40,000 images, including paintings and drawings from the Courtauld Gallery, and over 35,000 photographs of architecture and sculpture from the Conway Library.[23] Two other websites sell high-resolution digital files to scholars, publishers and broadcasters, and photographic prints to a wide public audience.[24][25]
The Courtauld uses avirtual learning environment to deliver course material to its students.[26] Since 2004, the Courtauld has published an annual research journal,Immediations, edited by current members of the research student body. Each cover of the journal has been commissioned by a leading contemporary artist.[27] Additionally, together with theWarburg Institute, the institute publishesThe Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, an annual publication of about 300 pages (ISSN 0075-4390).[28]
The Courtauld's art collection is housed in the Courtauld Gallery. The collection was begun by the institute's founder,Samuel Courtauld, who presented an extensive collection of mainlyImpressionist andPost-Impressionist paintings in 1932. It was enhanced by further gifts in the 1930s and a bequest in 1948, and has since received many significant donations and bequests. The gallery contains some 530 paintings and over 26,000 drawings and prints.[29] Since 1989, the gallery been housed in the Strand block of Somerset House, which was the first home of theRoyal Academy, founded in 1768. In April 2013, the Head of the Courtauld Gallery wasErnst Vegelin.
The Courtauld is well known for its many graduates who have become directors of art museums around the world.[30] These include theMetropolitan Museum of Art, New York; theMuseum of Modern Art, New York; theNational Gallery, London; theNational Portrait Gallery, London; theBritish Museum, London; theTate,London; theFine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco; theNational Gallery of Art, Washington; and theMuseo del Prado, Madrid. The number of notable alumni in the fine arts has earned graduates the "Courtauld Mafia" nickname.[31]
The directors of the Courtauld have been:
| William George Constable | 1932–1936 |
| T. S. R. Boase | 1936–1947 |
| Anthony Blunt | 1947–1974 |
| Peter Lasko | 1974–1985 |
| Michael Kauffmann | 1985–1995 |
| Eric Fernie | 1995–2003 |
| James Cuno | 2003–2004 |
| Deborah Swallow | 2004–2023 |
| Mark Hallett | 2023–present[32] |
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