Congratulations to Professor Aviva Burnstock, Professor in Conservation at The Courtauld, who has been announced as the 2025 recipient of the Plowden Medal for Conservation.ÌýÌý

The Plowden Medal for Conservation is the leading award for conservation in the UK, and Aviva has been awarded in recognition of her exceptional contribution to the field of painting conservation, citing her research into both artist51²è¹Ý¶ù materials and techniques and conservation practice, and her teaching. Ìý

Aviva is also a specialist technical expert for BBC51²è¹Ý¶ù Fake or Fortune.Ìý

Learn more: Ìý

Ìý

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The Griffin Catalyst Exhibition:
Wayne Thiebaud. American Still Life
10 October 2025 – 18 January 2026

Images available to download:

The Courtauld Gallery will present the first-ever museum exhibition in the UK on the celebrated modern American artist Wayne Thiebaud (1920–2021). The Griffin Catalyst Exhibition: Wayne Thiebaud. American Still Life will be on display from 10 October 2025 – 18 January 2026

One of the most original American artists of the 20^th century, Thiebaud developed a unique style of painting to express his vision of post-war American life and culture.

The exhibition at The Courtauld Gallery will focus on Thiebaud51²è¹Ý¶ù break-out works of the 1960s, which made his reputation. It brings together some of the greatest paintings the artist produced during this remarkable period – lush and captivating depictions of quintessential modern American subjects, from cherry pies, hot dogs and candy counters to gumball dispensers and pinball machines. With these works, Thiebaud recast the genre of still life for the modern era.

In 1962, Thiebaud asserted, ‘Each era produces its own still life.’ Steeped in art history, he saw his work as continuing the radical legacy of artists such as Jean-Siméon Chardin, Paul Cézanne and Édouard Manet. Thiebaud saw the commonplace objects of his own time – iconic features of American consumer culture – as vital subjects for contemporary art. His works transformed everyday delights such as lemon meringue pies and glossy cream cakes into the stuff of serious modern painting.

Thiebaud51²è¹Ý¶ù vibrantly coloured pictures of the offerings of American diners, bakeries and stores are painterly meditations on their subjects, which draw the viewer deep into the world they represent. Painted during a period of American economic boom and optimism but also increasingly of dissent and change, Thiebaud51²è¹Ý¶ù still lifes belie their direct and simple appearance. Within a single work, a sense of abundance and excess can give way to feelings of isolation and longing.

Thiebaud lived and worked almost his entire long life in Sacramento, California, and was a longstanding teacher at nearby University of California, Davis. In the 1940s and 1950s, before becoming a painter, he worked as an illustrator, cartoonist and art director, including a summer spent in the animation department of Walt Disney Studios and a role as a graphic designer for the US army as part of his military service during the Second World War.

In 1956, Thiebaud travelled to New York to meet the avant-garde artists working there. Willem de Kooning was especially inspirational and encouraged him to find his own voice and subjects as a modern painter. Back in Sacramento, he began painting commonplace objects of American life, largely from memory, and soon crystallised his unique approach, isolating his richly painted subjects against spare backgrounds. In 1961, he took this body of modern still lifes to New York looking for a gallery to show them. Having faced rejection from most, he made a last stop at a gallery run by a young dealer, Allan Stone, who took him on. The following year, Thiebaud staged his first solo show at the Allan Stone Gallery, which was an overnight success, propelling him into the limelight. Important collectors and institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art, purchased works and the exhibition sold out. From there, Thiebaud would go on to become one of the major figures of 20^th-century American art.

In that same year, 1962, Thiebaud was featured, alongside artists such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, in two historic shows that established the Pop Art 51²è¹Ý¶ù. Although his work coincided with Pop Art, Thiebaud never considered himself part of the 51²è¹Ý¶ù. Rather than being rooted in advertising graphics, methods of mass reproduction, and concerned with flat, print-like surfaces, Thiebaud51²è¹Ý¶ù work is painterly almost to the point of exaggeration. He exploited the physical properties of paint to create an intense and captivating expression of his chosen subjects.

The exhibition will feature rarely lent works from major museum and private collections in the United States. Highlights include Thiebaud51²è¹Ý¶ù epic painting Cakes, lent for the first time outside the US by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., and Four Pinball Machines, one of his most significant works in a private collection. Other major loans include works from the Whitney Museum of Art, New York; the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.; and the Fine Art Museums of San Francisco, among others. The exhibition also benefits from generous loans from the Wayne Thiebaud Foundation in Sacramento.

An accompanying exhibition in the Gilbert and Ildiko Butler Drawings Gallery, Wayne Thiebaud. Delights, will focus on the artist51²è¹Ý¶ù eponymous 1965 portfolio of 17 prints to offer further insight into his favourite still-life motifs. It will allow visitors to appreciate Thiebaud as a draughtsman and printmaker.

In addition to holding one of the few works by Thiebaud in a UK public collection – the ink drawing Cake Slices from 1963 – The Courtauld offers a rich context for the exploration of Thiebaud51²è¹Ý¶ù remaking of the genre of still life. Most notably, it will be fascinating to consider his work in relation to Manet51²è¹Ý¶ù A Bar at the Folies-Bergère, a painting Thiebaud greatly admired. With its counter line-up of tempting treats, from mandarins to champagne, it is the defining precursor painting of modern consumer culture and society.

The exhibition is curated by Dr Karen Serres, Senior Curator of Paintings, and Dr Barnaby Wright, Deputy Head of The Courtauld Gallery and Daniel Katz Curator of 20^th-century Art. It will be accompanied by a richly illustrated and expansive catalogue showcasing new research on Thiebaud51²è¹Ý¶ù still lifes, with contributions from leading scholars.

The Griffin Catalyst Exhibition: Wayne Thiebaud. American Still Life
Denise Coates Exhibition Galleries, Floor 3

The exhibition51²è¹Ý¶ù Title Supporter is Griffin Catalyst, the civic engagement initiative of Citadel Founder and CEO Kenneth C. Griffin.

Wayne Thiebaud. Delights

The Gilbert and Ildiko Butler Drawings Gallery, Floor 1
The programme of displays in the Drawings Gallery is generously supported by the International Music and Art Foundation, with additional support from James Bartos.

10 October 2025 – 18 January 2026

The Courtauld Gallery

Somerset House, Strand
London WC2R 0RN

Tickets are on sale to Courtauld Friends from 8 July 2025.
Tickets are on general sale from 10 July 2025.

Opening hours: 10.00 – 18.00 (last entry 17.15)
Temporary Exhibition tickets (including entry to our Permanent Collection and displays) – from £18

Friends and under-18s go free. Other concessions available.

Courtauld Friends get a year of free, unlimited entry to our latest exhibitions and displays, plus our world-famous permanent collection, access to exhibition presales, previews, early morning views, exclusive events, discounts and more. Join at courtauld.ac.uk/friends

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We are looking forward to welcoming all of our new and continuing undergraduate, postgraduate and research students to the 2025/26 academic year. There are a number of important events throughout Welcome Week, ranging from introduction sessions for your programme through to orientation for students new to London and the UK, all geared toward getting you ready for the academic year ahead.

Welcome Week will help get your bearings for the Autumn Term and beyond, providing guidance on both academic and non-academic support.

This page also outlines theÌýEnrolment and Fee Payment processes, and providesÌýfurther guidance on your first steps as a international student.

Please contact us at the relevant email address below if you have any questions:

Undergraduate:Ìýugadmissions@courtauld.ac.uk

Postgraduate:Ìýpgadmissions@courtauld.ac.uk

Students’ Union:Ìýstudents.union@courtauld.ac.uk

Our fantastic Students’ Union organise a simultaneous Welcome Week, and put on a series of events that cater for student life, societies and off-site activities. Whilst some of these events have been included in the Welcome Week Schedule below,

Some of the Students’ Union events are ticketed. You can find the tickets and more information about these eventsÌýÌýAccessibility statements for Students’ Union events will be available to download.

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Preparing For Your Course

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Visas and Immigration

Generally speaking, if you are normally resident outside of the UK, and you do not hold UK citizenship you will require a Tier 4 Student visa in order to enter the UK as a student. You will need to have made an application for a visa and be granted e…

Read more

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Dulamjav Amarsaikhan is an incoming PhD candidate at the Courtauld Institute of Art, where she earned her MA in Buddhist Art History and Conservation in 2023. Her doctoral research will explore the art and architecture of the early Ilkhanid period in Iran. She has extensive experience working in museum and cultural institutions in Mongolia, including the Zanabazar Fine Arts Museum and the Ministry of Culture.

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Dulamjav Amarsaikhan is an incoming PhD candidate at the Courtauld Institute of Art, where she earned her MA in Buddhist Art History and Conservation in 2023. Her doctoral research will explore the art and architecture of the early Ilkhanid period in Iran. She has extensive experience working in museum and cultural institutions in Mongolia, including the Zanabazar Fine Arts Museum and the Ministry of Culture.

The post Angaragsuren Odkhuu appeared first on The Courtauld.

This event will celebrate the publication of . Drawing on remarkable archival discoveries, Geoff Browell and Eileen Chanin have for the first time uncovered the deep history of this remarkable street, which has been a witness to London’s growth and change from the earliest years of the city’s existence into the contemporary. In the work, they present the most complete and compelling history of The Strand ever written.

The event will bring together some of the world’s leading scholars working on the history of what remains one of London’s greatest throughfares. Tracing its origins in the Roman era, speakers will reveal how it grew in stature and importance as authority shifted from church to aristocracy, then to commerce, media and law. ÌýOver time, everything that mattered converged on the Strand: by 1910, the street was known as the ‘centre of the world’. ÌýFollowing a period of decline in the second half of the twentieth century, the current revival in the fortunes of The Strand through its contemporary regeneration and the restoration of many of its greatest buildings will be discussed, and its future reinvention as a beacon of heritage-led sustainable urban redevelopment rooted in spirit of place will be considered.

Led by Dr Kyle Leyden (The Courtauld), talks will be given by Dr Manolo Guerci (University of Kent), who has written the definitive architectural history of the great town palaces of England’s clergy and courtiers which lined The Strand in the Early Modern period, and the Rev. Canon Dr Peter Babington, priest in charge of St Mary-le-Strand, the architectural masterpiece of Scots-Catholic architect James Gibbs and miraculous survival of fire, religious turmoil, redevelopment, and war, which is currently undergoing a major restoration and reinvention as community events and worship space at the centre of the regenerated Strand. These will be joined by the authors for a round-table discussion of the new book, followed by a drinks reception.

Organised by Dr Kyle Leyden, Lecturer in Early Modern Architecture and Visual Culture, The Courtauld.

The post The Strand: A Biography of London’s Greatest Thoroughfare appeared first on The Courtauld.

51²è¹Ý¶ù as part of the EU-funded GoGreen Project is leading Work Package 7 on Green Education in Conservation.

Join us for a webinar on Work Package 7 of the , where we’ll dive into how collaboration has helped shaped innovative course modules focused on green education in conservation. The webinar will highlight key outputs of the work package and how they will contribute to a more sustainable conservation curriculum.

Learn how you can get involved in helping shape these courses to help inspire the next generation of green leaders in conservation!

The post WP7 Webinar: How do we Integrate Green into Conservation Education? appeared first on The Courtauld.

New display, ‘The Barber in London: Highlights from a Remarkable Collection’, opens 23 May 2025. Including works by Bellini, Rubens, Gainsborough, Turner, Rossetti, Whistler, Degas and Monet.

For further press information and images, please visit:

Exceptional paintings from the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham, go on show at The Courtauld Gallery for an extended display, opening 23 May 2025.

A selection of 18 masterpieces ranging from the Renaissance to the 20th century, including works by Gainsborough, Reynolds, Turner, Degas, and Monet, will be exhibited at The Courtauld Gallery while the Barber undergoesÌýmajor building improvements.

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts was founded as a university gallery in 1932, the same year as 51²è¹Ý¶ù and its collection. Both were intended to encourage the study and public appreciation of art. Today, the Barber and The Courtauld Gallery are home to two of the finest collections of European art in the country.

Highlights of the display will includeÌýSaint Jerome in the WildernessÌý(around 1445-60) – one of the earliest surviving works by Giovanni Bellini – along with Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun51²è¹Ý¶ùÌýPortrait of Countess GolovinaÌý(1797-1800) and the strikingÌýPortrait of a Man with a Skull, (around 1610-14) by Frans Hals. The Barber51²è¹Ý¶ù significant strand of landscape paintings will be represented with exceptional examples by artists including Rubens, Claude, Turner, and Monet. Several internationally significant 19th-century works will be exhibited, including Gabriel Dante Rossetti51²è¹Ý¶ù sumptuousÌýThe Blue BowerÌý(1865) and Edgar Degas51²è¹Ý¶ùÌýJockeys Before the RaceÌý(1879). Max Pechstein51²è¹Ý¶ùÌýStill Life in GreyÌý(1913)– the Barber51²è¹Ý¶ù most recent painting acquisition – demonstrates the museum51²è¹Ý¶ù ongoing interest in growing the collection with 20th-century works.

The display will be presented in the Katja and Nicolai Tangen 20th Century Gallery on the third floor. In addition, aÌýhandful of paintings with strong links to some of The Courtauld51²è¹Ý¶ù own works will be embedded in the permanent collection displays – among them,ÌýJoshua Reynolds51²è¹Ý¶ù monumental double portraitÌýMaria Marow Gideon and her brother WilliamÌý(1786-87) and Anthony van Dyck51²è¹Ý¶ùÌýEcce HomoÌý(around 1625-26), which will be shown beside The Courtauld51²è¹Ý¶ù closely relatedÌýMan of SorrowsÌý(around 1622-25).

The Barber was founded by Hattie, Lady Barber (1869–1933) inÌýmemory of her husband, Sir Henry Barber (1860–1927), a wealthy Birmingham property developer and lawyer. Lady Barber did not possess a significant collection of art. Instead, she created an endowment that allowed its Directors to acquire works that were, in her words, ‘of exceptional and outstanding merit’. For more than 70 years, this founding vision has shaped a carefully selected collection of major works that represent key developments in the history of Western art. Lady Barber51²è¹Ý¶ù bequest also financed the construction of an exceptional building on the University of Birmingham51²è¹Ý¶ù Edgbaston campus. Designed by the architect Robert Atkinson (1883–1952), itÌýopened to the public in 1939 with just 14 paintings then on display. Intended as a nucleus for the arts and a social hub for the University, the Barber also has an Art-Deco concert hall at its heart, as well as a lecture theatre and art history library, and houses the University51²è¹Ý¶ù Department of Art History, Curating and Visual Studies.

The Barber will re-open to the public in 2026.

The Barber in London: Highlights from a Remarkable Collection
23 May 2025 – 22 February 2026
The Courtauld Gallery
Katja and Nicolai Tangen 20th Century Gallery, Floor 3

/whats-on/exh-the-barber-in-london-highlights-from-a-remarkable-collection/

Entry to the display is included in the Gallery admission ticket.

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Join us for the third event in our Sustainability in Conservation series, where Kim Kraczon and Vivian Yip will share insights into the sustainable initiatives they are leading in the field.

Greenwashing Revelations Through Revision: Re-evaluating Sustainability Claims of Bioplastics – Kim Kraczon, Ki Culture

Since its launch in January 2021, Ki Culture51²è¹Ý¶ù Waste and Materials Ki Book has been downloaded over 5,000 times by practitioners of cultural heritage worldwide, establishing the online sustainability manual as one of the leading guides for mitigating the environmental burden of materials we encounter in cultural heritage. The sustainabilityÌýmanual initially focused on finding alternatives to reduce waste and lessen the environmental impact of the plastic materials we encounter in collections care and transport. This led to an exploration of emerging alternative materials, such as bioplastics, as potential replacements for petroleum-derived plastics. Terms such as biodegradable, compostable, green, environmentally friendly, and sustainableÌýare commonly used in the marketing strategies for bioplastics and biobased materials. However, the question arises: Are these alternatives actually better options for the environment and cultural heritage than their plastic counterparts?

In thisÌýtalk,ÌýKim KraczonÌýcriticallyÌýexaminesÌýthe language and imagesÌýassociated with so-called eco-friendly materials, such as bioplastics and biobased compostable/biodegradable products, to better decipher the environmental impactÌýand applicabilityÌýof these materialsÌýin culture heritage practices.

A journey towards sustainability​: Supplementing single use Tate cases with commercially available reusable cases​ – expanded version – Vivian Yip, Tate

Responding to a need to reduce the number of cases disposed of after international transit for the Tate Loans programme, investigation of alternatives had been initiated by the Collection Care Sustainability Group within Tate. This talk will trace our journey in pursuit of this goal, with a focus on our enquiry into the feasibility of supplementing single use Tate cases with commercially available reusable cases. How we approached the testing of the suitability of cases with limited resources in both time and funding within a big art institution with four UK sites and 8 extremely busy programme areas? A short test run in preparation for a trial has taken place recently to benchmark a commercially reuseable options against a Tate51²è¹Ý¶ù standard case in order to deliver a recommendation for the acceptable use case scenarios for works on paper, starting with our loans-out programme. This would simultaneously allow us and to design a benchmarking methodology for other reusable cases in the future.

Co-organised by the UK Museums and Heritage Sustainable Packing Group and Clare Richardson, Head of Conservation at The Courtauld, as part of her work with the GoGreen project.

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