Courtauld’s exhibition reopens at Braintree Museum

An exhibition featuring a display of rare original woodblock prints by Paul Gauguin from our collection has reopened at Braintree Museum following a temporary closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Courtaulds: Origins, Innovations & Family, is part of our National Partners project and offers a unique glimpse into the early work of this influential artist who was championed by our founder Samuel Courtauld. The exhibition is open to the public from 1 September until January 2021.

Whilst The Courtauld Gallery is closed for a major transformation project, we have established exhibition and museum partnerships like this, both nationally and internationally, to provide unique opportunities for more audiences to engage with our collection.

Courtaulds: Origins, Innovations & Family  also explores the Courtauld family’s extraordinary history – revealing the story of their pioneering development of silks created in their first factory in the heart of Braintree, Essex; the influence of the family and their ongoing local and global legacy.

Visitors can explore artefacts that illuminate the Courtauld family’s history – including a suffragette poster designed by Catherine Courtauld, from the Women’s Library, London; the remains from Augustin Courtauld’s Arctic flag from the Scott Polar Institute, alongside loans from the Courtauld Family’s Private Collection.

Katherine Dunleavy, Regional Programme Coordinator at The Courtauld, commented: ‘We’re delighted that the Courtaulds’ exhibition has reopened at Braintree Museum and that more visitors will have the chance to see the four prints by Gauguin from The Courtauld’s collection. This fascinating exhibition also sheds new light on the lives of the Courtauld family and those that worked for them in their textile mills.’

Braintree Museum will host a range of events and resources online to coincide with the exhibition. All events will be published on its website and social media channels.

Courtaulds: Origins, Innovations & Family

2 September 2020 – January 2021