You searched for conservation - Courtauld / Fri, 24 Jul 2026 12:17:41 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.1 Publications /research/research-areas/publications/ Fri, 24 Jul 2026 11:38:52 +0000 /?page_id=172550 Publications from The Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation Centre for Buddhist Art and Conservation.

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Sujatha Arundathi Meegama, “Accessibility of Buddhist Objects in Secular Spaces”inLondon Buddhist Vihara Centenary Essays Buddhism in the Contemporary World.Edited by Graham Dixon. 76-86. London: London Buddhist Vihara, 2026

Yeshey, Karma, Lan Pu, and Joshua A. Hill, ‘The Emergence and Contemporary Craft of Marouflage Wall Paintings in Bhutan’, inCrafts and Craft Traditions in Tibetan Architecture, Eds. H. Feiglstorfer, C. Blaikie, and Tsering Drongshar. Vienna: OAW Verlag.(2025): 373-393.

Lori Wong and Sujatha Meegama, “Asian Bronze: 4000 Years ofBeauty.”The Burlington Magazine(January 2025): 35-37.

Sujatha Arundathi Meegama,Temples to the Buddha and the Gods:The Transnational DrāviḍaTradition of Architecture in Sri Lanka. Hawai’i: University of Hawai’i Press, 2024.

Sujatha Arundathi Meegama and Lori Wong, “An Interdisciplinary Post Colonial Response to the Statue of Tara from Sri Lanka at the BritishMuseum.” InBridging the Gap 2023 Conference. 3-16. London:Archetype Press, 2024.

Wong, Lori, and SujathaArundathiMeegama.2023. “An interdisciplinary approach: The MA program in Art History and Conservation of Buddhist Heritage at TheCourtauld.” InWorking Towards a Sustainable Past. ICOM-CC 20th Triennial Conference Preprints, Valencia, 18–22 September 2023, edited by J.Bridgland. Paris: International Council of Museums.

Park, David,KuengaWangmo, and Sharon Cather, eds. 2013.Art of Merit: Studies in Buddhist Art and its Conservation. Proceedings of the Buddhist Art Forum 2012.London: Archetype Publications.

Publications
drawing of temple on book cover
Cover of the book Temples to the Buddha and the Gods depicting the Gadaladeniya Rajamaha Vihara, Sri Lanka Drawing by D. Rathnayake
Cover of the book Temples to the Buddha and the Gods depicting the Gadaladeniya Rajamaha Vihara, Sri Lanka Drawing by D. Rathnayake

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]]> Study Trip to Asia: Sri Lanka, May 2023 /research/research-areas/study-trip-to-asia-sri-lanka-may-2023/ Mon, 20 Jul 2026 08:49:33 +0000 /?page_id=172342 The intensive 11-day study trip to Japan took place in May 2025.

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In May 2023, MA students from the Buddhist Heritage programme visited Sri Lanka for their annual study trip to Asia. Students arrived in Colombo, in May, on the first day of Vesak—it is the most important festival in international Buddhist culture, commemorating the birth, enlightenment, andparinirvanaof the historical Buddha. Colombo finds itself crowded with revellers during the week. After a warm meal at the Meegama family home, the students lit paper lanterns and set out into the city to experience this Buddhist festival first hand.

Throughout the trip, the group visited six World Heritage Sites in Sri Lanka and explored numerous temples, including ancient painted caves and contemporary living archaeological sites. The Ho Centre collaborated with a number of organisations on the ground to organise workshops and guided tours of World Heritage Sites, temples, and museums. The students found it rewarding to meet Buddhist monks, archaeologists, art historians, conservators, curators, artists, heritage professionals, and fellow students during this study trip. They also attended a workshop on the deteriorationof the Sigiriya Mirror Wall and learned howolaor palm leaf Buddhist manuscripts are created at Alu Vihara, where it is believed that the Pali Buddhist canon was first written down.

Students witnessed a Buddhist ritual of the wrapping of a historical monument, thestupa, with cloth in the sacred city of Anuradhapura and observed the evening Buddha puja at the Gal Vihara, an archaeological site in Polonnaruva that is famous for its monumental stone Buddhas. In Kandy, the students had the opportunity to pay their respects to the Buddha51ݶ tooth relic at the Temple of the Tooth Relic and tour the International Buddhist Museum. In Jaffna, students visited newly constructed Buddhist heritage sites to explore issues about Buddhist nationalism. Students visited a 19th-century southern temple by the Indian Ocean to study wall paintings that were undergoing conservation. They were also welcomed at Samudragiri Vihara where they studied the temple51ݶ collection of sacred objects, while discussing traditional methods of caring for Buddhist ritual objects at temples. Students also visited two pilgrimage sites believed to have been visited by the historical Buddha, even taking a boat in the Indian Ocean to travel to one. In Colombo, the students were invited to observe and participate in daily temple ceremonies at a contemporary Buddhist monastery and listened to thepirit-chanting ritual at the Meegama home. Through these different learning experiences, they gained a unique perspective on living Buddhist heritage, not just as outsiders, but as active participants.

Sri Lanka, May 2023

six students sit in a row on the steps of a Sri Lankan temple ruin
Sri Lanka Study Trip. The Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation Centre for Buddhist Art and Conservation
Sri Lanka Study Trip. The Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation Centre for Buddhist Art and Conservation
eight people stand on the steps pf a Sri Lankan temple, all are wearing white.
Sri Lanka Study Trip. The Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation Centre for Buddhist Art and Conservation
Sri Lanka Study Trip. The Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation Centre for Buddhist Art and Conservation
a monk scribing whilst sitting at a low table surrounded by onlookers taking photos
Sri Lanka Study Trip. The Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation Centre for Buddhist Art and Conservation
Sri Lanka Study Trip. The Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation Centre for Buddhist Art and Conservation
a group crouch under a low ceiling cavern looking at a wall painting using a torch for illumination.
Sri Lanka Study Trip. The Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation Centre for Buddhist Art and Conservation
Sri Lanka Study Trip. The Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation Centre for Buddhist Art and Conservation

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]]> First major European exhibition by Salman Toor opens at the Courtauld Gallery on 2 October /about-us/press-office/press-releases/salman-toor-someone-like-you-courtauld-gallery-2-oct/ Thu, 09 Jul 2026 10:01:59 +0000 /?page_id=171858 The post First major European exhibition by Salman Toor opens at the Courtauld Gallery on 2 October appeared first on Courtauld.

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Opening 2 October 2026, the Courtauld presents the first solo exhibition in Europe of the artist Salman Toor, acclaimed for his arresting paintings of the contemporary experience and urban life. The exhibition brings together an outstanding selection of the artist51ݶ most iconic, thought-provoking and at times humorous paintings, never-before-seen in Britain.

Salman Toor (b.1983) was born in Lahore, Pakistan, and lives and works in New York. His paintings capture people in moments of friendship and love, as well as solitude and alienation.The exhibition at the Courtauld will present 19 paintings, all created since 2019,that focus on Toor51ݶ exploration of human interactions and the desire and struggle to experience a sense of belonging, both culturally and emotionally.The exhibition will be complemented by a special display ofToor51ݶdrawingsin the Gilbert and Ildiko Butler Drawings Gallery.

WhileToor51ݶfigures andscenesare fictional, they arerooted inhispersonal experiencesand memories.Speaking of his works, hesays they“depict queer and immigrant lives thatstraddledifferent culturesand inhabit the tension between intimacy and exposure,belongingand estrangement. What it means to find a community, but also the daily costs associated with visibility”.

His paintingsoffering intimate views into the imagined lives of young, queer South Asian men in New York, where he has lived most of his adult life,aretenderand sensual representations of cosmopolitan urban life.Evocative colour palettes and references to art history add a fantastical element to his narratives. The Bar on 13thStreet(2019) depicts a bartender sporting braids, a gold bangle, nail polish, andribbons, drawing on different sources, from the dimly lit scenes of 17thcentury Dutch tavern paintings to the more overt reference to Édouard Manet51ݶA Bar at the Folies-Bergère,inthe Courtauld51ݶ owncollection.InBar Boy(2019),which evokes thenightlife in New York51ݶ East Village, a young man51ݶ face illuminated by his smartphone as he stands isolatedand distractedin a bustlingclub.

Another subject on display is a series that Toor began in 2019, which addresses the experiences of immigrants at border control. Toor51ݶ personal experience has informed these works that depict marginalised individuals’encounterswhen crossing borders, and their senses of freedom or restriction.InMan with Face Creams and Phone Plug(2019), a man with his head down awaits a customs official51ݶ inspection ofhis belongings,laid out on a table.Otherportraitsare depicted inGroup B(2020) andCitizens(2022).

Toor51ݶwork is rooted in a deep engagement with and admiration for the Old Masters, in particular Baroque and 18thcentury painting, and the Courtauld isamuseum heparticularlyadmires. His paintings draw on a broad range of historic and contemporary stylistic references, from European art historytothe Mughal School,but alsocontemporary painting, photography, and graphic novels.The Joke(2024) evokes Parisianfin de siècle nightlife while ironically presenting a contemporary, tourist experience.InMuseum Boys(2021), the dandyish fashion on view – a buckled wide-brim hat, a shawl, a pearl earring – recall Vermeer, as two male figures stand looking at a vitrine containing a pink shoe, a half-naked sleeping man, and aDuchamp-likeinverted urinal.Ghost Ball(2023), one of the artist51ݶ largest and most ambitious paintings, from the Pinault Collection,presents a group offiguresdancingto the sound of musicians, inspired by the masterpieceDancing Villagers(c.1730), attributed torenownedartist Pandit Seu who worked inIndia in the 18thcentury.

Salman Toor: Someone Like Youfeatures key loans from major public collections, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York;the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York;National Gallery of Art, Washington; The Baltimore Museum of Art; Dallas Museum of Arts;and the Pinault Collection,as well as private collections.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a display in the GilbertandIldiko Butler Drawings Gallery ofToor51ݶ works on paper,includingFag Puddle in Vitrine(2021),acquiredby the Courtauld in 2024.The displayshowcasesToor51ݶ mastery of drawing and the way it informs his practice as a painter.

Salman Toor51ݶ first majormuseumsolo exhibition,Salman Toor: HowWill I Knowtook place at the Whitney Museumin New Yorkin 2020. In 2022NoOrdinary Loveopened at the Baltimore Museum of Art,and travelled to the Tampa Museum of Art, the Honolulu Museum of Art, and the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University, Waltham, MA in 2023-2024. A suite of his works was featured in the 60thVenice Biennale in 2024.

The exhibitionis accompanied by a new catalogue, edited byDr Elena Crippa, Senior CuratorofContemporaryat the Courtauld Gallery,with contributions byRichard Meyer,Robert and Ruth Halperin Professor in Art History, Department of Art and Art History,Stanford University, California; and Aziz Sohail, a curatorresearcher,and Teaching Fellow with the Department of Fine Art, Monash University, Melbourne.

This exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery has received Lead Support from the Bukhman Foundationand the Salman Toor Exhibition Circle, with Additional Support from the Ryan Taylor Collection.The exhibition media partner isAnother Manand Dazed.

Courtauld Memberscan enjoy the exhibition without the crowds at a preview on Thursday 1 October, 14:00 – 18:00,and alsoget free unlimited entry to all exhibitions, access to presale tickets, priority booking to selected events, advance notice of art history short courses, exclusive events, discounts and more. Join atcourtauld.ac.uk/members


2 October 2026 – 10 Jan 2027
Denise Coates Exhibition Galleries, Floor 3


2 October 2026 – 10 Jan 2027
Gilbert andIldikButler Drawings Gallery, Floor 1

Courtauld Gallery, Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 0RN 

Opening hours: 10:00 – 18:00 (last entry 17:15).
Temporary Exhibition tickets (including entry to our Permanent Collection and displays) from £16. Courtauld Members and 18s andunder gofree. Other concessions available.

MediaContacts:
 dzܰٲܱ 
/about-us/press-office/
media@courtauld.ac.uk į

Bolton & Quinn 
Erica Bolton | erica@boltonquinn.com | +44 (0)20 7221 5000
Daisy Taylor I susie@boltonquinn.com | +44 (0)20 7221 5000

Notes to Editors: 

dzܰٲܱ 
The Courtauld works to advance how we see and understand the visual arts, as an internationally renowned centre for the teaching and research of art history and a major public gallery. Founded by collectors and philanthropists in 1932, the organisation has been at the forefront of the study of art ever since through advanced research and conservation practice, innovative teaching, the renownedcollectionand inspiring exhibitions of its gallery, and engaging and accessible activities,educationand events. 

The Courtauld Gallery cares for one of the greatest art collections in the UK, presenting these works to the public at the Courtauld Gallery in central London, as well as through loans and partnerships. The Gallery is most famous for its iconic Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces – such as Van Gogh51ݶ Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear andManet51ݶ A Bar at theFolies-Bergère. Itshowcasesthese alongside an internationally renowned collection of works from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance through to the present day. 

Academically, the Courtauld Institute is the largest community of art historians and conservators in the UK, teaching and conducting research on subjects ranging from creativity in late Antiquity to contemporary digital art forms – with an increasingly global focus. An independent college of the University of London, the Courtauld offers a range of degree programmes from BA to PhD in the History of Art, curating, art and business and the conservation of easel and wall paintings. Its alumni are leaders and innovators in the arts,cultureand business worlds, helping to shape the global agenda for the arts and creative industries. 

Founded on the belief that everyone should have the opportunity to engage with art, the Courtauld works to increase understanding of the role of art throughout history, across all societies and geographies, and to champion its importance in the present day. This could be through exhibitions offering a chance to look closely at world-famous works; events bringing art history research to new audiences; accessible short courses; digital engagement, innovative school, family, and community programmes; or taking a formal qualification. The Courtauld51ݶ ambition is to transform access to art history education, ensuring as many people as possible canbenefitfrom the tools it offers to better understand the visual world around us. 

The Courtauld is an exempt charity and relies on generous philanthropic support to achieve its mission of advancing the understanding of the visual arts of the past and present across the world through advanced research, innovative teaching, inspiring exhibitions,programmesand collections. 

The collection cared for by the Courtauld Gallery is owned by the Samuel Courtauld Trust. 

Download the press release

Salman Toor press release

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]]> Graduation 2026: Honorary Doctorate awarded to Dame Rachel Whiteread DBE /news-blogs/2026/graduation-2026-honorary-doctorate-awarded-to-dame-rachel-whiteread-dbe/ Wed, 08 Jul 2026 16:48:16 +0000 /?p=171825 The post Graduation 2026: Honorary Doctorate awarded to Dame Rachel Whiteread DBE appeared first on Courtauld.

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The Courtauld Institute is proud to announce the conferment of an Honorary Doctorate degree (Doctor Honoris Causa)toDame Rachel Whiteread DBE, one of the UK51ݶ leading contemporary artists.

Working primarily in sculpture, Dame Rachel Whiteread DBE51ݶ 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, Rachelexhibitedin theSensationexhibition at the Royal Academyin 1997. Her practice has since expanded to include large-scale public commissions and memorial works, which areexhibitedworldwide and held in major public collections. Notable projects includeHolocaust Memorial, Vienna (2000);Untitled Monument, Fourth Plinth, Trafalgar Square, London(2001);U.S. Embassy (Flat pack house),US Embassy, London (2013-2015);as well asnumerousglobal exhibitions and retrospectives.

In 1993, Rachel became the first woman to win the Turner Prize for her internationally acclaimedHouse, 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 Courtauld51ݶ dedication to recognising leaders in the fields of Art and Art History whodemonstrateextraordinary accomplishments and inspire future generations.The honorary degree was presented at the Courtauld51ݶ Graduation Ceremony on 8 July 2026.

Acknowledging their outstanding support of the arts, the Courtauld Institute also awarded Honorary Fellowships toDaniel Katz MBEandLouisa A. Leventis.

Daniel ‘Danny’ Katz MBE is a preeminent dealer in European sculpture and fine art, specialisingin particular ingreat masterpieces across different sculptural media. Sinceestablishingthe Daniel Katz Gallery in 1968, Danny has become a world-renowned authority on Renaissance bronzes, amongst other fields. The gallery51ݶexpertisespans a diverse range of categories, including Ancient Art, Old Master and19thCentury 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 ofTwentieth Century Art, currently held by Dr Barnaby Wright, Deputy Head of the Courtauld Gallery. Danny51ݶ visionary philanthropy has been transformative for the Courtauld and for the wider field of the arts.

Louisa A. Leventisis Executive Director of the A.G. Leventis Foundation, a charitable foundation focused on society, education, and cultureestablishedby the Cypriot entrepreneur Anastasios G. Leventis.

Louisa studied English and Modern Greek Literature at St Peter51ݶ College, Oxford, and later completed an MA in Museum Studies at the Institute of Archaeology at University College London. She spent a year inNew York working on theMetropolitan Museum51ݶexhibitionGlory of Byzantium(1997).

The A.G. Leventis Foundation is a significant supporter of the study and conservation of the cultural heritage of Cyprus,Greeceand the Hellenism of the Diaspora,and has been a major supporter of the Courtauld fornearly 40years. Under Louisa51ݶ 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 generationsof scholars for years to come.

Rachel Whiteread smiling for an official graduation photo, dressed in a red gown with brown robes.
Dame Rachel Whiteread DBE, awarded the Degree of Doctor of Literature, Honoris Causa at the Courtauld Institute on 8 July 2026.
Louisa A Leventis smiling for an official photograph at the Courtauld, wearing black gown with a black and brown robes.
Louisa A. Leventis, awarded an Honorary Fellowship at the Courtauld Institute on 8 July 2026.
Louisa A. Leventis, awarded an Honorary Fellowship at the Courtauld Institute on 8 July 2026.
Daniel ‘Danny’ Katz MBE, awarded an Honorary Fellowship at the Courtauld Institute on 8 July 2026.
Daniel ‘Danny’ Katz MBE, awarded an Honorary Fellowship at the Courtauld Institute on 8 July 2026.
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]]> The Courtauld News spotlights MA Art History and Conservation of Buddhist Heritage /research/research-areas/the-courtauld-news-spotlights-ma-art-history-and-conservation-of-buddhist-heritage/ Wed, 01 Jul 2026 16:09:29 +0000 /?page_id=171706 Issue 46

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]]> Study Trip to Asia: Japan, May 2025 /research/research-areas/ma-programme-in-buddhist-heritage-study-trip-to-asia/ Wed, 01 Jul 2026 13:23:46 +0000 /?page_id=171666 The intensive 11-day study trip to Japan took place in May 2025.

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Experiential learning is an important component of the MA programme in Buddhist Heritage, exposing students to a rich body of Buddhist material culture through site visits to UK-based collections as well as a study trip abroad to develop appreciation for and to provide firsthand experience of conservation and management challenges.

The intensive 11-day study trip to Japan took place in May 2025. In preparation for this study trip, students learned from various Japanese studies specialists in the UK who presented on topics relevant to the study trip in a public lecture series in collaboration with the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures and the Royal Asiatic Society.

Students visited temples and museums in the World Heritage sites of Kyoto, Nara, and Koyasan. Highlights of the trip was a visit to Saihoji in Kyoto where students transcribed portions of the Lotus Sutra and participated in a tea ceremony at Jikoin in Nara. Students also climbed Muroji, an esoteric mountain temple outside of Nara, where a Buddhist nun guided us through the various image houses.

The Ho Centre and MA programme was able to establish a new relationship with Ryukoku University, the oldest Buddhist university in Japan. Thanks to this new connection, students had two guided visits of two temples: Nishi Honganji and Eikando in Kyoto. At the latter temple, students were able to visit the temple51ݶ manuscript conversation studio and learn about the volunteer efforts of the temple51ݶ Buddhist community. Students observed a special ceremony for the succession of priests and experienced the ways in which Buddhist heritage exists in a multi-sensory landscape. Students were able to compare the ritual traditions of two different types of Buddhisms as they also experienced the esoteric tradition when visiting Koyasan.

During the study trip, students not only visited a number of World Heritage sites, but also many museums: Nara National Museum, the Kyoto National Museum as well as temple treasure halls and temple museums (Byodoin Museum, the Horyuji Museum, the temple treasure halls at Toji and at Koyasan).

Students were also given ample time to engage in free activities which gave them the opportunity to explore these World Heritage Sites by themselves as well as with students from Ryukoku University.

All onsite teaching during the study strip was provided by the Courtauld Institute’s faculty with contributions by the following international guest lecturer: Professor Irisawa Takahashi of Ryukoku University, who spoke about the digital reconstruction of the Bezeklik caves in China. Students also met and learned from Japanese art historians, Buddhologists, and Buddhist monks, who shared different perspectives in the study of the Japanese Buddhist heritage. Our guest lecturers critically brought the heritage sites to life and gave students valuable insights on which they were able to draw upon during the rest of their study trip and MA Programme.

The Programme is designed to inspire students to develop a sensitivity to world cultures and religions, and furnish them with practical skills and critical thinking needed for a career in the field. The students acquired an understanding of the diverse traditions of Buddhism in the programme, and are encouraged to apply this knowledge within the broad field of cultural heritage and management.

Japan (May 2025)

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]]> Paintings by Picasso, Magritte and Man Ray to go on display at the Courtauld Gallery as part of a major partnership with the Reuben Foundation /about-us/press-office/press-releases/paintings-by-picasso-magritte-and-man-ray-to-go-on-display-at-the-courtauld-gallery/ Tue, 23 Jun 2026 08:27:14 +0000 /?page_id=171446 The post Paintings by Picasso, Magritte and Man Ray to go on display at the Courtauld Gallery as part of a major partnership with the Reuben Foundation appeared first on Courtauld.

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Press images:

A new display,Modern Painting from the Courtauld and ReubenCollections, made possible by the long-term partnership between the Courtauld and the Reuben Foundation, will open at the Courtauld Gallery on18 September 2026.

Featuring outstanding works by Cezanne, Modigliani, Léger, Picasso, and Magritte, the display explores radicalnew approachesto painting in the first half of the 20th century.

The Courtauld51ݶ partnership with the Reuben Foundation,launched in 2025,enables worksof artfrom the ReubenCollectiontobe made available to the publicas part of the Courtauld Gallery51ݶdisplays. Itallows theGallery to extend its celebratedpresentationof Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art into the modern period.

In October 2025, the Courtauld announced the largest financial gift in its history from the Reuben Foundation,echoing the extraordinary philanthropy of the Courtauld51ݶ founder, Samuel Courtauld. The Foundationissupporting the developmentofthe Courtauld51ݶ new Strand campus,which, when it opens in 2029, willbeone oftheworld51ݶmost important centresfor the study ofthehistory of art.

Modern Painting from the Courtauld and Reuben Collectionsbegins with early 20th century paintings from the Courtauld,including PauléԲԱ51ݶTurning Road(1905), a landscape conjured through near-abstract patches ofcolour, and Amedeo Modigliani51ݶNude(c.1916), a radically direct and expressive painting that upended conventional approaches to the subject of the female nude. These set the stage for works from the Reuben Collection by painters who built on such innovations to chart new artistic directions.

Major Cubist works by Juan Gris and Fernand Léger from 1914-1918, a period of significant avant-garde experimentation in Europe, tookéԲԱ51ݶpatchwork of brushstrokes to new extremes. They broke the illusion of representational painting by depicting their subjects as fragmented parts,seemingly stillin the process of beingformed. A highlight of this area of the display is Man Ray51ݶ monumentalBlack Widow (Nativity), painted in New York in 1915, and lastexhibitedin the UK more than fifty years ago. Although celebrated asamodernist photographer, Man Ray began his career as a painter. With this, one of his most significant early works, he created an epic modern figure painting out of Cubism and painted collage.

A group of three paintings by Pablo Picasso from the period of the Second World Wardemonstratethe artist51ݶ continual reinvention of the traditions of painting. Picasso51ݶ two portraits of his partners,Marie-Thérèse Walter, 1937, and the photographerDora Maar, 1939, neither previouslyexhibitedin this country, challenge and transform classical conventions of portraiture. The latter work offers a raw and unsettling image of Maar during the war. They are shown alongside his remarkableStill Life with Basket of Fruits and Flowers(1942); its spiky and fraught depiction of its humble objects powerfully expressing the tenor of wartime Paris.

The Reuben Collection holds a significant collection of works by the Surrealist artist René Magritte. Some of Magritte’s most famous compositions are included in this display, such asThe Dominion of LightandThe Intimate Friend. Both works date from the 1950s and are characteristically elusive juxtapositions that offer the promise of new and unexpected meanings, such as a nocturnal scene under a sunlit sky, or the artist51ݶ iconic bowler-hatted man, overlaid with a wine glass and baguette. Magritte51ݶLa DomaineArnheim, 1949, is a further highlight of this group. Its surreal image of a landscape through a shattered window is an encapsulation of the transformations and reinventions of modern painting since the time oféԲԱ.

The Courtauld Gallery has grown historically through the generosity of private individuals who haveendowed it with the remarkable collections they formed. This tradition of philanthropy,initiatedat the Gallery by Samuel Courtauld in the 1930s, continues to extend and enhancethe Courtauld Gallery51ݶ world-famous collections.In recent years,the Courtauld Galleryhasalsoenriched itsdisplayswith works of artloanedto it fromother collections,includinga group of paintings fromthe Oskar Reinhart Collectionandexceptional works from the Barber Institute of Fine Artin Birmingham.

Modern Painting from the Courtauld and ReubenCollections
Opening 18 September 2026
Katja and Nicolai Tangen 20th Century Gallery, Floor 3

/whats-on/exh-modern-painting-from-the-courtauld-and-reuben-collections/

Courtauld Gallery, Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 0RN 
Opening hours: 10:00 – 18:00 (last entry 17:15).
Weekday and weekend tickets from £12. Courtauld Members and Under-18s go free. Other concessions available.

MEDIA CONTACTS
Courtauld

media@courtauld.ac.uk 

Bolton& Quinn
Erica Bolton | erica@boltonquinn.com | +44 (0)20 7221 5000
Daisy Taylor | daisy@boltonquinn.com | +44 (0)20 7221 5000

SOCIAL MEDIA – COURTAULD 
Facebook@Thedzܰٲܱ 
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NOTES TO EDITORS 

About the Courtauld
The Courtauld works to advance how we see and understand the visual arts, as an internationally renowned centre for the teaching and research of art history and a major public gallery. Founded by collectors and philanthropists in 1932, the organisation has been at the forefront of the study of art ever since through advanced research and conservation practice, innovative teaching, the renowned collection and inspiring exhibitions of its gallery, and engaging and accessible activities, education and events. 

The Courtauld Gallery cares for one of the greatest art collections in the UK, presenting these works to the public at the Courtauld Gallery in central London, as well as through loans and partnerships. The Gallery is most famous for its iconic Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces – such as Van Gogh51ݶ Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear and Manet51ݶ A Bar at theFolies-Bergère. It showcases these alongside an internationally renowned collection of works from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance through to the present day. 

Academically, the Courtauld Institute is the largest community of art historians and conservators in the UK, teaching and conducting research on subjects ranging from creativity in late Antiquity to contemporary digital art forms – with an increasingly global focus. An independent college of the University of London, the Courtauld offers a range of degree programmes from BA to PhD in the History of Art, curating, art and business and theconservation of easel and wall paintings. Its alumni are leaders and innovators in the arts, culture and business worlds, helping to shape the global agenda for the arts and creative industries. 

Founded on the belief that everyone should have the opportunity to engage with art, the Courtauld works to increase understanding of the role of art throughout history, across all societies and geographies, and to champion its importance in the present day. This could be through exhibitions offering a chance to look closely at world-famous works; events bringing art history research to new audiences; accessible short courses; digital engagement, innovative school, family, and community programmes; or taking a formal qualification. The Courtauld51ݶ ambition is to transform access to art history education, ensuring as many people as possible canbenefitfrom the tools it offers to better understand the visual world around us. 

The Courtauld is an exempt charity and relies on generous philanthropic support to achieve its mission of advancing the understanding of the visual arts of the past and present across the world through advanced research, innovative teaching, inspiring exhibitions, programmes and collections. 

The collection cared for by the Courtauld Gallery is owned by the Samuel Courtauld Trust. 

About the Reuben Foundation

Formed in 2002, the Reuben Foundation is a UK charitable foundation focused on the advancement of healthcare, education and the community both in the UK and globally.

Recent projects include the Reuben Scholarship Programme, whichassiststhousands of the most talented students from less advantaged backgrounds with financial support towards university living costs. The Reuben Scholarships Programme runs in partnership with the Universities of Oxford,Cambridgeand Ark Schools. In 2020 the Reuben Foundation made a transformational gift to establish Reuben College at the University of Oxford, marking only the 39th college in the university51ݶ near-1,000-year history and the first new college at the university for 30 years.

In the healthcare space gifts include the creation of the largest centre for paediatric cancer treatment in Europe at Great Ormond Street Hospital, a world-leading treatment and research centre at The Royal Marsden Hospital, and a new maternity ward and neonatal intensive care unit at Chelsea & Westminster Hospital as well as a new young people51ݶ centre designed to provide immediate, specialist and integrated care to young people in mental health crisis.

Further information on the Reuben Foundation can be found at:

Press Release – Modern Painting from the Courtauld and Reuben Collections

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]]> Enhancing Research Culture Workshop: Collaborating with Communities /whats-on/enhancing-research-culture-workshop-collaborating-with-communities/ Mon, 22 Jun 2026 11:57:34 +0000 /?post_type=events&p=171411 A closed workshop co-organised by Lori Wong (Senior Lecturer in Conservation) and Dr Sujatha Meegama (Senior Lecturer in Art History) as part of The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Centre for Buddhist Art and Conservation at The Courtauld.

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This day-long workshop engaged with the opportunities and challenges of collaborating with communities. The workshop brought together participants from diverse backgrounds and facilitated discussion amongst art historians, conservators, anthropologists, curators, scientists, educators, community members, and monastics, focusing on experiences gained from previous collaborations with indigenous, diasporic, and religious communities, while also exploring best practices, innovative approaches and methodologies, and ways to assess and value impact.

Through active engagement and exchange of ideas with workshop participants and audience members from The Courtauld community, the workshop sought to raise awareness of collaborative practices that contribute to a more inclusive, impactful, and forward-thinking research culture demonstrating the benefits of enhancing wider participation in research.

Co-organised by Lori Wong (Senior Lecturer in Conservation) and Dr Sujatha Meegama (Senior Lecturer in Art History) as part of The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Centre for Buddhist Art and Conservation at The Courtauld.

Generously supported by The Courtauld Research England Research Culture Fund.

Download Collaborating with Communities Workshop Programme

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]]> Dr Thupten KelsangNamed 2026 Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Buddhism Public Scholar  /news-blogs/2026/ho-family-foundation-buddhism-public-scholar/ Mon, 22 Jun 2026 10:27:08 +0000 /?p=171303 The post Dr Thupten KelsangNamed 2026 Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Buddhism Public Scholar  appeared first on Courtauld.

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The Courtauld Institute is proud to announce thathas been named a 2026 Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Buddhism Public Scholar.

Dr Kelsang isone of  who will be placed in one- to two-year professional positions with leading museums and publications across Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. These recent PhDs will apply their academicexpertisefrom their PhD training to strengthen the host organization51ݶ presentation of Buddhist art, thought, and practice to broad audiences.

Dr Kelsang is a museum anthropologist with a Clarendon-funded DPhil from the University of Oxford. Specialising in community-engaged research and Tibetan museum collections, he has been consulted by the British Museum, the Pitt Rivers Museum, the British Library, and the Horniman Museum. He is currently an AHRC Research Fellow at the Victoria & Albert Museum, leading the ‘Reanimating Tibetan Heritage’ project.

Dr Kelsang will work with the Courtauld Instituteto support collaborations with public institutions such as museums and libraries, as well as Buddhist temples and religious communities both in the UK and in Asia, to create public programming and produce knowledge about Buddhist Heritage.

“The 2026 cohort of The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Program in Buddhist Studies demonstrates the vitality and reach of the field,” said Daphne Weber, ACLS(American Council for LearnedSocieities)Program Officer of Buddhist Studies. “ACLS is proud to support rigorous, academic scholarship and professional positions that bring new knowledge and understanding of Buddhist traditions to broader communities who stand to benefit from it.”

 at ACLSpromotesthe academic study of Buddhism, strengthens international networks of Buddhist scholars, and increases the visibility of new knowledge and research on Buddhist traditions. It is made possible by a $7.5 million grant extension to ACLS from The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Global to advance research and scholarship in the field through fellowships and grants, nurture networks through annual symposia for early career fellows, and increase and diversify applicant pools across the globe.

“We are delighted to welcome Dr Kelsang to the Courtauld, and share his exciting work on Tibetan Buddhist objects in museum collections with our students as well as with religious communities” said Dr Sujatha Meegama, who oversees the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Centre for Buddhist Art and Conservation at the Courtauld Institute.

The Ho Centre offers the MA Art History and Conservation of Buddhist Heritage programme. To jointhe new cohort in 2026-2027,apply now.

Performing Tibetan Identities at Pitt Rivers by Ian Wallman

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]]> Research Notes: Hepworth in Colour Roundtable /whats-on/hepworth-in-colour-roundtable/ Wed, 17 Jun 2026 08:40:18 +0000 /?post_type=events&p=171032 Join us for a round table discussion on the theme of colour in the work of the sculptor Barbara Hepworth

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Join us for a roundtable discussion to accompany the major exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery, The Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen Exhibition: Hepworth in Colour. Dr Alexandra Gerstein will be joined by Dr Stephen Feeke, Tessa Jackson and Jo Volley to discuss the theme of colour in the work of the sculptor Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975).

Barbara Hepworth (1903 –1975) is best known for her abstract sculptural forms inspired by nature and the coastal landscapes of Cornwall, where she lived and worked from 1939.

This ambitious exhibition is the first to explore a less familiar aspect of her work, the artist51ݶ lifelong fascination with colour, which she used in highly original and unexpected ways. The exhibition unites for the first time her early innovative sculptures with colour of the 1940s, displayed alongside the most important drawings from that decade, and will include major examples of her work with colour from the 1950s and 1960s.

The Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen Exhibition: Hepworth in Colour provides an exciting and unique opportunity to discover the vital and expressive role of colour in Hepworth51ݶ sculpture, offering a fresh way of understanding one of the most remarkable artists of the 20th century.

This event is organised by Dr Alexandra Gerstein, Curator of Sculpture and Decorative Arts, Courtauld Gallery.

A marble sculpture with sweeping spherical curves, and a yellow dot in the centre. It sits on a marble plinth and dramatic lighting casts a strong shadow against a dark background.
Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), Eidos, 1947, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Purchased with the assistance of the Samuel E. Wills Bequest to commemorate the retirement of Dr E. Westbrook, Director of Arts for Victoria, 1981 © Bowness. Photo: Predrag Cancar / NGV. Image courtesy National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne

With contributions from:

Dr Alexandra Gerstein is Curator of Sculpture and Decorative Arts at the Courtauld Gallery and is the co-curator of Hepworth in Colourat the Courtauld Gallery.

Stephen Feeke is an independent curator and art historian. He was previously a curator at the Henry Moore Institute, Leeds and then Artistic Director at the New Art Centre, Roche Court, before embarking on a PhD on Barbara Hepworth51ݶ bronzes at the Courtauld Institute of Art in 2019. He is author of numerous published texts, mostly on sculpture, and co-authored the catalogue for Barbara Hepworth at the Rijksmuseum. He is currently managing a public realm project at Paddington Square, London and is co-curator of Hepworth in Colourat the Courtauld Gallery

Professor Jo Volley is an artist and academic at theSlade School of Fine Art, UCL where she is coordinator of the Material Research Project & Network. As part of her role, along with colleagues, she has developed a substantial pigment collection of over 1,000 samples for research and teaching purposes. In 2019, sheestablished Colour & Poetry: A Symposium, across-disciplinary international 2-dayevent in celebration of International Colour Day, World PoetryDay and since 2020, World Pigment Day,which she co-founded with Dr. Ruth Siddall. In 2020, sheinitiated The Pigment Farmproject to propagate plants that explore the world of natural dyes and pigments.

TessaJackson has 35 years of experience as a conservator. Between 1994 and 2017, she worked at Tate and established her own conservation and consultancy practice in Surrey. During her time at Tate,Tessawas involved in the conservation and restoration of some of the most significant sculptures of the twentieth century, including Jacob and the Angelby Jacob Epstein, The Kissby Auguste Rodin, Recumbent Figureby Henry Moore, and the sculptures of Barbara Hepworth in the St Ives Sculpture Garden.
Tessaenjoys working across a wide range of materials and mixed-media artworks, including Hepworth51ݶ bronzes incorporating string, concrete works by Donald Judd and Peter László Péri, and plastics ranging from foam to silicone, including works by Naum Gabo. She has developed particular expertise in the conservation and restoration of pristine surfaces and regularly collaborates with specialist practitioners to achieve highly specific, bespoke finishes. Tessahas lectured widely and contributed to influential publications in the field of sculpture conservation.

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