Modern and Contemporary

Photograph of an installed artwork, consisting of paper pictures of animals and insects stuck on a wall i Mary Beth Edelson, Burning Bright, 1973. Oil, ink, china marker, and collage on silver gelatin print, displayed among Selected Wall Collages, 1972–2011. Ink, marker and paper mounted on canvas. Installation view Mary Beth Edelson: A Celebration, 26 April–4 June 2022, David Lewis Gallery, New York. Courtesy David Lewis Gallery, New York.

There is a very active community of researchers at The Courtauld who specialise in art from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day. Undergraduates and MAs are encouraged to join current (and often former) PhDs at the regular meetings of the Modern and Contemporary Research Seminars, which attract distinguished scholars in London and beyond. Public lectures with acclaimed visiting speakers are regularly organised, and the Courtauld organises and hosts colloquia and large-scale conferences in connection with events such as exhibitions.

MA students write their dissertations either on material arising directly from their course or, with their supervisor’s approval, on any other viable topic. The best dissertations achieve publishable standard in leading journals.

With the range of interests and expertise of the staff, and the availability of research resources in London, research students are encouraged to undertake pioneering work in a range of areas of art history. The large number of active research students in the modern and contemporary area creates a supportive and stimulating environment.

Research

There is a very active community of researchers. Undergraduates and MAs are encouraged to join current (and often former) PhDs at the regular meetings of the Modern and Contemporary Research Seminars, which attract distinguished scholars in London and beyond. Public lectures with acclaimed visiting speakers are regularly organised, and the Courtauld organises and hosts colloquia and large-scale conferences in connection with events such as exhibitions.

MA students write their dissertations either on material arising directly from their course or, with their supervisor’s approval, on any other viable topic. The best dissertations achieve publishable standard in leading journals.

With the range of interests and expertise of the staff, and the availability of research resources in London, research students are encouraged to undertake pioneering work in a range of areas of art history. The large number of active research students in the modern and contemporary area creates a supportive and stimulating environment.

Many PhDs will be published in whole or in part, substantially revised or in some cases substantially as submitted.

Modern and Contemporary Faculty

Associate Lecturers

Research Fellows

Modernities: Architecture / Design / Theory

Modernities: Architecture / Design/ Theory is a series of events organised by Dr Robin Schuldenfrei (Tangen Reader in 20th-century Modernism)

Research

Lucia Moholy: Bauhaus Photographer

5:30pm, 7 Mar 2025 | Free, booking essential

Join director Dr Sigrid Faltin for the London premiere of her documentary "Lucia Moholy: Bauhaus Photographer", which delves into the artistic practice and enduring legacy of a remarkable pioneer. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the dire...

Past Events

Research

A Nod of a Hat: Rooftops of Old Tehran

5:00pm, 5 Jun 2023 | Free, booking essential

In this talk, Ahmadreza Schricker, the principal of Architecture North (ASA North), discusses his newest project, the transformation of the abandoned Argo beer factory in downtown Tehran into a new museum, artist residency and cultural centre....

Currently the ‘modern and contemporary faculty’ also consists of:

Visiting Professors
Professor Christopher Green
Professor John Milner
Professor Anne Wagner

Honorary Research Fellow
Dr Shulamith Behr

Andrew W Mellon Foundation / Research Forum Visiting Professor (Mellon MA)
Dr Heather Norris Nicholson

Andrew W Mellon Foundation / Research Forum Postdoctoral Fellow (Mellon MA)
Dr Sarah Beth Levavy

Terra Foundation for American Art Visiting Professor
Dr Julia Bryan-Wilson

Terra Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow:
Dr Ellery Foutch

Citations