The Courtauld Institute is proud to announce the conferment of an Honorary Doctorate degree (Doctor Honoris Causa) to Dame Rachel Whiteread DBE, one of the UK’s leading contemporary artists.
Working primarily in sculpture, Dame Rachel Whiteread DBE’s artwork transforms everyday objects, surfaces, and architecture into monumental and ethereal artworks.
Rachel studied painting at Brighton Polytechnic and sculpture at the Slade School of Fine Art in the 1980s. A leading figure in the Young British Artists, Rachel exhibited in the Sensation exhibition at the Royal Academy in 1997. Her practice has since expanded to include large-scale public commissions and memorial works, which are exhibited worldwide and held in major public collections. Notable projects include Holocaust Memorial, Vienna (2000); Untitled Monument, Fourth Plinth, Trafalgar Square, London (2001); U.S. Embassy (Flat pack house), US Embassy, London (2013-2015); as well as numerous global exhibitions and retrospectives.
In 1993, Rachel became the first woman to win the Turner Prize for her internationally acclaimed House, a full-sized cast of a Victorian terraced house in London. Rachel was the first female artist to present a solo exhibition for the British Pavillion at the Venice Biennale in 1997. She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2006 and Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2019 for services to art.
The conferring of this Honorary Doctorate underscores the Courtauld’s dedication to recognising leaders in the fields of Art and Art History who demonstrate extraordinary accomplishments and inspire future generations. The honorary degree was presented at the Courtauld’s Graduation Ceremony on 8 July 2026.
Acknowledging their outstanding support of the arts, the Courtauld Institute also awarded Honorary Fellowships to Daniel Katz MBE and Louisa A. Leventis.
Daniel ‘Danny’ Katz MBE is a preeminent dealer in European sculpture and fine art, specialising in particular in great masterpieces across different sculptural media. Since establishing the Daniel Katz Gallery in 1968, Danny has become a world-renowned authority on Renaissance bronzes, amongst other fields. The gallery’s expertise spans a diverse range of categories, including Ancient Art, Old Master and 19th Century Paintings, Modern British Art, and Arts of the Islamic World. With an exceptional global reputation, the gallery has placed significant works in major international institutions such as The British Museum, The Louvre, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the J. Paul Getty Museum.
Danny is also well known for his philanthropic commitments, both to the arts — fine arts, music, and dance — as well as neurological charities. He was awarded an MBE for charitable services in 2002. Danny has been a keen supporter of the Courtauld for over two decades, funding exhibitions and the post of the Daniel Katz Curator of Twentieth Century Art, currently held by Dr Barnaby Wright, Deputy Head of the Courtauld Gallery. Danny’s visionary philanthropy has been transformative for the Courtauld and for the wider field of the arts.
Louisa A. Leventis is Executive Director of the A. G. Leventis Foundation, a charitable foundation focused on society, education, and culture established by the Cypriot entrepreneur Anastasios G. Leventis.
Louisa studied English and Modern Greek Literature at St Peter’s College, Oxford, and later completed an MA in Museum Studies at the Institute of Archaeology at University College London. She spent a year in New York working on the Metropolitan Museum’s exhibition Glory of Byzantium (1997).
The A. G. Leventis Foundation is a significant supporter of the study and conservation of the cultural heritage of Cyprus, Greece and the Hellenism of the Diaspora, and has been a major supporter of the Courtauld for nearly 40 years. Under Louisa’s stewardship, the A. G. Leventis Foundation has supported the Courtauld in a wide range of areas including conservation, exhibitions, conferences, and academic post funding, including the AG Leventis Professorship of Byzantine Art held by Professor Antony Eastmond. Thanks to this outstanding generosity, Byzantine studies is a thriving area of research and teaching at the Courtauld, fostering new generations of scholars for years to come.
