His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales visited The Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House in London on Tuesday (7 December) to celebrate its reopening to the public, following the most significant development project in its history, providing a transformed home for one of the UK’s greatest art collections.
His Royal Highness was given a tour of the Gallery by Professor Deborah Swallow, Märit Rausing Director of The Courtauld and The Lord Browne of Madingley, Chairman of The Courtauld Governing Board. The tour included a viewing of some of The Courtauld’s most famous masterpieces including Van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear, Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergère and the most important collection of Cézannes in the UK, as well as works from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance through to the present day.
The redevelopment of The Courtauld Gallery, led by Stirling Prize-winning architects Witherford Watson Mann, has been supported by £11 million from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and a generous donation from philanthropists Sir Leonard and Lady Blavatnik, and the Blavatnik Family Foundation. Additional major support has been provided by AKO Foundation, the Deborah Loeb Brice Foundation, The John Browne Charitable Trust, Denise Coates CBE, Crankstart, The Garcia Family Foundation, The Garfield Weston Foundation, Dr Martin and Susanne Halusa, The Linbury Trust, LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton and Oak Foundation.
The transformed gallery is very much a realisation the founder of The Courtauld, Samuel Courtauld’s vision of making art accessible to all. The collection cared for by The Courtauld Gallery belongs to the Samuel Courtauld Trust.
VISITOR INFORMATION
The Courtauld Gallery
Monday – Sunday, 10am – 6pm (last entry 5.15pm)
Free entry to the permanent collection (Including the Gilbert and Ildiko Butler Drawings Gallery) to students, under 18s, those in receipt of job seekers allowance, teachers, FE and HE lecturers. Friends of The Courtauld are always free. Additional charges apply for exhibitions in the Denise Coates Exhibition Gallery.
Full details: www.courtauld.ac.uk/gallery
MEDIA CONTACTS
The Courtauld
www.courtauld.ac.uk/gallery/press media@courtauld.ac.uk
Bolton & Quinn
Erica Bolton | erica@boltonquinn.com | +44 (0)20 7221 5000
Dennis Chang | dennis@boltonquinn.com | +44 (0)20 7221 5000
THE COURTAULD
Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 0RN
www.courtauld.ac.uk
SOCIAL MEDIA
Instagram @Courtauld Twitter @TheCourtauld YouTube CourtauldInstitute Facebook @TheCourtauld #TheCourtauld #courtauldconnects
NOTES TO EDITORS
About The Courtauld
The Courtauld works to advance how we see and understand the visual arts, as an internationally- renowned centre for the teaching and research of art history and a major public gallery. Founded by collectors and philanthropists in 1932, the organisation has been at the forefront of the study of art ever since through advanced research and conservation practice, innovative teaching, the renowned collection and inspiring exhibitions of its gallery, and engaging and accessible activities, education and events.
The Courtauld cares for one of the greatest art collections in the UK, presenting these works to the public at The Courtauld Gallery in central London, as well as through loans and partnerships. The Gallery is most famous for its iconic Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces – such as Van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear and Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergère. It showcases these alongside an internationally renowned collection of works from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance through to the present day.
Academically, The Courtauld faculty is the largest community of art historians and conservators in the UK, teaching and carrying out research on subjects from creativity in late Antiquity to contemporary digital artforms – with an increasingly global focus. An independent college of the University of London, The Courtauld offers a range of degree programmes from BA to PhD in the History of Art, curating and the conservation of easel and wall paintings. Its alumni are leaders and innovators in the arts, culture and business worlds, helping to shape the global agenda for the arts and creative industries.
Founded on the belief that everyone should have the opportunity to engage with art, The Courtauld works to increase understanding of the role played by art throughout history, in all societies and across all geographies – as well as being a champion for the importance of art in the present day. This could be through exhibitions offering a chance to look closely at world-famous works; events bringing art history research to new audiences; accessible and expert short courses; digital engagement, innovative school, family and community programmes; or taking a formal qualification. The Courtauld’s ambition is to transform access to art history education by extending the horizons of what this is, and ensuring as many people as possible can benefit from the tools to better understand the visual world around us.
The Courtauld is an exempt charity and relies on generous philanthropic support to achieve its mission of advancing the understanding of the visual arts of the past and present across the world through advanced research, innovative teaching, inspiring exhibitions, programmes and collections.
The collection cared for by The Courtauld Gallery is owned by the Samuel Courtauld Trust.