Open Courtauld Hour Update

Thank you to the 10,000+ people who have tuned into our first series of Open Courtauld Hour! We have been overwhelmed by the uptake to these four events, and are happy to announce that we will be coming back for series two in June. Stay tuned for more!

Open Courtauld Hour was the Courtauld’s first digital mini series – each hour made up of short talks from expert speakers, live performances and explorations of individual works. The events were open to everyone and celebrate the Courtauld’s collection, research in art history, curation and conservation in creative new ways.

Through these sessions, and future episodes, Open Courtauld Hour aims to examine the impact of the current COVID-19 crisis on artistic practice, evaluate how artists and galleries are adapting to the digital world, and provide a platform for art historical research creative practice in lockdown.

Watch the recordings here:

• Art in Isolation. Thursday 30 April, 8.05 – 9.00pm  – recording
• Art and Wellbeing. Thursday 7 May, 8.05 – 9.00pm – recording 
• The Future of Art History. Thursday 14 May, 8.05 – 9.00pm – recording
• Women Artists. Thursday 21 May, 8.05 – 9.00pm – recording 

We’ve recently compiled some research into engagement of the Open Courtauld Hour sessions that we would like to share:

• Almost 2,600 people have attended the live sessions and over 8,000 people have watched the events on YouTube (as of 29 May 2020)
• As well as the UK, people tuned in from the USA, Portugal, France, Chile, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Malta, Crete, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Norway, Canada and Argentina!

Open Courtauld Hour is the latest initiative as part of The Courtauld’s work to increase access to its expertise and collections via digital channels, and is delivered by The Courtauld’s Research Forum. Other highlights include virtual tours of The Courtauld Gallery before it closed, or of the recent temporary exhibition of prints– Impressions of Modern Life.

Those interested in art history at all levels can access free recordings of art history research events, online books, blogs and short courses.