The Courtauld Gallery in London has now reopened its doors to the public, following the most significant modernisation project in its history, providing a transformed home for one of the UK’s greatest art collections.
Visitors to the Gallery in Somerset House, which has been closed since 2018, can now see masterpieces from The Courtauld’s collection, ranging from the Middle Ages to the 20th Century, completely redisplayed and reinterpreted across elegantly refurbished galleries, revealing the quality and range of the collection like never before. New spaces have been created for The Courtauld’s acclaimed temporary exhibitions as well as for projects which highlight the institution’s research-led educational mission.
Designed by Stirling Prize-winning architects Witherford Watson Mann, with gallery design by Nissen Richards Studio, the redevelopment revitalises and opens up the building conceived by Sir William Chambers in the 1770s. It creates an inspiring setting for the 21st Century. The project has been supported by £11 million from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, £10 million from philanthropists Sir Leonard and Lady Blavatnik, the Blavatnik Family Foundation and generous donations from foundations, individuals and other supporters.
Professor Deborah Swallow, Märit Rausing Director of The Courtauld, said: “We are so excited to welcome visitors back into The Courtauld Gallery after being closed for over three years. The transformation has been incredible, and the masterpieces in our collection now shine brighter than ever before. The Courtauld was founded in 1932 on the belief that everyone should have the opportunity to engage with art. With improved visitor facilities and greater accessibility, we’re also looking forward to welcoming people who might not have visited The Courtauld before – as well as being once again able to use the Gallery to teach our wonderful art history, curation and conservation students.”
Gallery Space
The Blavatnik Fine Rooms, spanning the second floor, provide a stunning setting for a series of new displays of works from the Renaissance to the 18th century. Highlights are Botticelli’s large-scale The Trinity with Saints, unveiled after a three-year conservation project, and The Courtauld’s celebrated collection of works by Peter Paul Rubens.
The Courtauld’s renowned collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces, including Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergère (1882), Van Gogh’s Self- Portrait with Bandaged Ear (1889), and the most significant collection of works by Cézanne in the UK, are presented in the spectacular, newly restored LVMH Great Room, London’s oldest purpose-built exhibition space.
A new gallery has been created on the first floor to present The Courtauld’s important collection of paintings and decorative arts from the Medieval and Early Renaissance periods. This includes fine examples of Islamic metalwork, alongside works from Italy and Northern Europe. For the first time, The Courtauld’s collection of works by the Bloomsbury Group has been given a dedicated space in the Gallery. It showcases the group’s radical designs for furniture, ceramics and textiles alongside paintings and drawings by important Bloomsbury artists including Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant.
Two brand new galleries on the top floor provide a beautiful new home for The Courtauld’s programme of temporary exhibitions. The Denise Coates Exhibition Galleries have opened with Modern Drawings: The Karshan Gift (19 Nov 21 – 9 Jan 22), showcasing an outstanding group of drawings by European and American masters including Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Georg Baselitz and Cy Twombly, assembled by the late collector Howard Karshan and generously given to The Courtauld by his wife, the artist Linda Karshan.
A further highlight of the renovation project is a new large-scale painting by the renowned contemporary artist Cecily Brown – specially commissioned for the curved wall at the top of The Courtauld’s historical staircase. Entitled ‘Unmoored from her reflection’, the picture responds to its setting and The Courtauld’s collection. Brown twists the codes and conventions of past art to create a dreamscape of painting that pushes back and forth between abstraction and figuration.
Education and Accessibility
The transformation has made the historic spaces of the Gallery more accessible than ever before, with the numerous improvements including step-free entrance access, new display cabinets, widened doors, and standardised floor levels between rooms. A new visitor welcome area has been created on the ground floor, alongside the restored John Browne Entrance Hall. Enhanced visitor facilities also include a newly constructed shop in the Deborah Loeb Brice Vaults and the colourful new Art Café, decorated in the interior style developed and championed by the Bloomsbury Group.
The collection’s interpretation has been completely revisited, drawing on The Courtauld’s expertise in art history education and research, as well as exploring the history of the fascinating rooms in which the collection is based. The Gallery’s digital programme has also been expanded to engage new audiences and enhance access to The Courtauld’s collections.
Teaching and research facilities in the Gallery have also been enhanced with new collection study spaces, and the complete refurbishment of the suite of teaching and research facilities within The Courtauld’s world-leading Department of Conservation. Visiting schools and community groups will also benefit from the new Leon Kossoff Learning Centre and the Edmond and Lily Safra Studio, which provides a dedicated space for education activities exploring art, art history and our collection.
For more details and visitor information please visit The Courtauld.
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Picture: Cecily Brown, Unmoored from her reflection, 2021. Oil on linen, 149 x 539 cm.. © Cecily Brown. Courtesy the artist and Thomas Dane Gallery. Photo: © Hufton+Crow.jpg.