The Manton Centre for British Art

painted cloudscape, light blues and greys. John Constable, Cloud Study, 1822, The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust) i John Constable, Cloud Study, 1822, The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

A major new initiative in the study and teaching of British Art.

Claudette Johnson, Blues Dance, 2023, Courtauld Gallery. Courtesy of the artist and Hollybush Gardens, London © Claudette Johnson

With a generous donation of £9.5million ($12million) from the Manton Foundation, The Courtauld established the Manton Centre for British Art in 2025.

Named after British art collectors and philanthropists, Sir Edwin Manton and Lady Florence Manton, the Centre consolidates The Courtauld’s position as a world leader in the study of all aspects of British art, and marks the continued commitment of the Manton family to the understanding of British art through research and teaching.

The Manton Centre for British Art is the intellectual hub for art historians, curators, critics, artists and students nationally and internationally. Committed to the study of all periods and forms of British art and attending to artwork made in colonial contexts and by diasporic communities, the Centre provides a platform for world-leading research and for teaching the next generation of British art professionals. The Centre organises lectures, conferences and workshops; awards scholarships; and hosts visiting fellows. The prestigious Manton Lecture is given annually by a leading figure in the field.

The Courtauld’s innovative specialists in British art are members of the Centre helping to shape its activities and future development. The Centre operates as the base for students taking modules in British art as part of their MA degree and also provides a home for PhD students researching British art.

Indian riverside village with washerwoman and shrine illustration.
George Chinnery, Indian riverside village with washerwoman and shrine, 1802 - 1825, The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Located at The Courtauld’s current campus Vernon Square, the Manton Centre will later be housed in purpose-designed premises at Somerset House, providing the physical and intellectual home for The Courtauld’s teaching and research on all aspects of British art.

The Manton Centre also pursues collaborations with other scholarly and artistic insitutions, both in the UK and internationally. In developing collaborations and partnerships, the Manton Centre engages all areas and periods of British art, and involves a wide range of interlocutors.

The Centre is directed by Steve Edwards, Manton Professor of British Art.

For all enquiries please contact Alice Rafter, The Manton Event Producer.

Upcoming Events at The Manton Centre

MA Special Options focused on British Art include:

Academic Lead

Faculty and Curators

Silvia Rita Amato

Conservation Scientist, Department of Conservation

Pippa Balch

Senior Lecturer, Conservation of Easel Paintings

Dr Jessica Barker

Senior Lecturer in Medieval Art History

Professor Alixe Bovey, FSA FRHistS

Professor of Medieval Art History

Alixe Bovey headshot

Professor Aviva Burnstock

Professor of Conservation

Picture of Aviva Burnstock

Dr Esther Chadwick

Lecturer in Art History

Esther Chadwick

Dr Indie A. Choudhury

Lecturer in Modern and Contemporary Art

Professor David Peters Corbett

Professor of American Art

Dr Elena Crippa

Curator of Contemporary Art: Exhibitions and Projects

Maureen Cross

Senior Lecturer, Department of Conservation

Professor Dorothy Price FBA

Executive Dean and Deputy Director, and Professor of Modern and Contemporary Art and Critical Race Art History

Dr Pia Gottschaller

Reader in Technical Art History

Dr Catherine Grant

Reader and Vice-Dean for Education

Professor Mark Hallett

Märit Rausing Director

Portrait shot of Mark Hallett

Emily Howe

Lecturer, Conservation of Wall Painting & Project Lead, National Wall Paintings Survey

Dr Kyle Leyden

Lecturer in Early Modern Architecture

Professor Lynda Nead

Visiting Professor of History of Art

Clare Richardson, FIIC

Head of Conservation

Dr Rachel Sloan

Associate Curator for Works on Paper

Dr Jane Spooner

Senior Lecturer, Conservation of Wall Paintings

Headshot of a woman looking up

Tom Stammers

Reader in Art and Cultural History

Sibylla Tringham

Lecturer, Conservation of Wall Paintings

Picture of Sibylla Tringham

Dr Barnaby Wright

Deputy Head of The Courtauld Gallery and the Daniel Katz Curator of 20th Century Art

Picture of Barnaby Wright

Dr Tom Young

Lecturer in Nineteenth-Century Art Histories

Professors Emeriti

For all enquiries please contact:

Citations