You searched for van gogh - The Courtauld / Wed, 25 Jun 2025 09:25:06 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2 Courtauld Commission 2025: Rachel Jones /whats-on/courtauld-commission-2025-rachel-jones/ Wed, 25 Jun 2025 09:11:41 +0000 /?post_type=events&p=151417 Acclaimed artist Rachel Jones will create two new site-specific commissions for our John Browne Entrance Hall and Ticketing Hall, which will be free to visit. No ticket required.

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Opening 25 Sep 2025
The John Browne Entrance Hall and Ticketing Hall
Free display – no ticket required

This autumn, acclaimed artist Rachel Jones will create two new site-specific commissions for The John Browne Entrance Hall and Ticketing Hall of 91ԹGallery, which will be free to visit.

Rachel Jones (b. 1991) is celebrated for her monumental canvases and bold use of colour. Working in pastel and oil stick, she creates large-scale abstract compositions in a kaleidoscope of rich colours and gestural marks. Her paintings often feature motifs of mouths and teeth interwoven in a landscape of natural forms, representing points of entry and connection between the body and the outside world.

The new paintings continue the artist’s dialogue with works in The Courtauld’s world-leading collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art. Jones described Vincent van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear(1889) in The Courtauld’s collection as her favourite and most inspiring work in a London public collection, calling it ‘the epitome of how to use colour, texture and a sense of self to create an image’.

Rachel Jones was born and lives in London. She studied Fine Art at The Glasgow School of Art and the Royal Academy Schools. Recent solo exhibitions include Rachel Jones, !!!!!, Museum of African Diaspora, San Francisco, US (2024), Rachel Jones, a shorn root, Long Museum, Shanghai, China (2023), and Rachel Jones, say cheeeeese, Chisenhale Gallery, London, UK (2022). A solo exhibition of Jones’ work, Gated Canyons, opened at Dulwich Picture Gallery on 10 June 2025.

Jones’s 2025 installation is the latest in a series of contemporary art exhibitions and commissions at 91ԹGallery across its public programme, including major solo-exhibitions by Claudette Johnson and Peter Doig, and a commission by Cecily Brown which was unveiled when the Gallery reopened in 2021.

Courtauld Commission 2025: Rachel Jones is free to visit. No ticket required.

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painting of a woman bartender looking straight ahead

Collection, 91ԹGallery, What’s On Highlights

Visit the permanent collection

Open Daily, 10:00 – 18:00

You can now book your visit to see our much-loved collection of masterpieces ranging from the Middle Ages to the 20th century.

Read more
a painting by Wayne Thiebaud, depicting a display of various cakes arranged neatly on individual white cake stands. The cakes are rendered with thick, creamy layers of paint, emphasizing their rich textures and colors. Each cake is distinct, with different designs and decorations, such as a heart, spirals, cherries, and floral motifs. The composition is orderly, with the cakes placed in a grid-like formation, creating a sense of both abundance and simplicity. The background is a pale, almost white surface, which contrasts with the vividness of the cakes, drawing attention to their details. The overall effect is both whimsical and slightly nostalgic, evoking the feel of a classic bakery display.

Exhibition, Exhibitions, 91ԹGallery, What’s on Highlights

Wayne Thiebaud: American Still Life

10 Oct 2025 – 18 Jan 2026

The first ever UK museum show devoted to the work of Wayne Thiebaud (1920-2021), now considered to be one of the greatest and most original American artists of the 20th century.

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Multiple, colourful pastel strokes which form an eye and nose

Sense of Self: Live Project Brief

Sense of Self: Live Project Brief is a live brief for educational groups inviting them to explore Van Gogh’s famous Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear and artwork by contemporary Rachel Jones to find their own moment of artistic inspiration.

Read more

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]]> Tickets now on sale for The Griffin Catalyst Exhibition: Seurat and the Sea /news-blogs/2025/tickets-on-sale-seurat-and-the-sea/ Mon, 16 Jun 2025 11:59:41 +0000 /?p=151666 The post Tickets now on sale for The Griffin Catalyst Exhibition: Seurat and the Sea appeared first on The Courtauld.

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Tickets are now on sale for the first month of The Griffin Catalyst Exhibition: Seurat and the Sea, which opens at 91ԹGallery from 13 February – 17 May 2026.

91Թwill present the first ever exhibition dedicated to the seascapes of the French artist Georges Seurat (1859–1891). This major exhibition will be the first devoted to Seurat in the UK in almost 30 years, and will chart the evolution of his radical and distinctive style through the recurring motif of the sea

It follows major Impressionist exhibitions at 91ԹGallery, such asVan Gogh. Self-Portraitsand, most recently, the acclaimedThe Griffin Catalyst Exhibition: Monet and London. Views of the Thames.

91Թholds the largest collection of works by Seurat in the UK. The artist is best known as the creator of the Neo-Impressionist technique, in which shapes and light are rendered by juxtaposing small dots of pure colour.

Due to his early death at the age of 31, Seurat has a very small pool of works and exhibitions devoted to him are rare.The Griffin Catalyst Exhibition: Seurat and the Sea will bring together 25 paintings, oil sketches and drawings made by Seurat during the five summers he spent on the northern coast of France, between 1885 and 1890. Working in port towns along the English Channel, including Honfleur, Port-en-Bessin and Gravelines, Seurat captured their seascapes, regattas and port activity in his distinctive Neo-Impressionist technique. He sought, in his words, ‘to wash his eyes of the days spent in the studio [in Paris] and to translate in the most faithful manner the bright clarity, in all its nuances’.

These works are an important counterpoint to his Parisian works, which are better known and more widely studied. This exhibition will therefore provide a unique opportunity to reassess an important but often overlooked aspect of Seurat’s career. It will include loans from major private collections and public institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; the Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia; the Baltimore Museum of Art; the Indianapolis Museum of Art; the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City; the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra; the Musée d’Orsay, Paris; the Musée des beaux-arts, Tournai; the Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo; the National Gallery, Prague; Tate and the National Gallery, London.

The Griffin Catalyst Exhibition: Seurat and the Sea will be accompanied by a beautifully illustrated catalogue, which will showcase the results of research on Seurat’s seascapes, their technical development and their importance in disseminating the artist’s work beyond the monumental canvases for which he is best known.

The exhibition’s title supporter is Griffin Catalyst, the civic engagement initiative of Citadel
Founder and CEO Kenneth C. Griffin.

Tickets for 13 Feb –13 Mar 2026 are now available to book.

The Griffin Catalyst Exhibition: Seurat and the Sea
13 February – 17 May 2026

BOOK NOW
A painting of Seascape at Port-en-Bessin, Normandy, a green cliff overlooking the blue sea with clouds in the sky
Georges Seurat (1859-1891), Seascape at Port-en-Bessin, Normandy, 1888, oil on canvas. Gift of the W. Averell Harriman Foundation in memory of Marie N. Harriman, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.

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]]> Sense of Self | Submissions /take-part/schools/sense-of-self-submissions/ Tue, 20 May 2025 12:28:43 +0000 /?page_id=150409 The post Sense of Self | Submissions appeared first on The Courtauld.

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Submitting your creative response

Please read the information on this page before submitting.

 

There are two steps you need to complete:

Step one–

Please note, this form asks for a title, short description of your work and any supporting information you wish to include. We recommend that you write your answers in a Word document before copying it over to the submission form, as the form may refresh if unused for a period of time.

 

Step two – e-mail images of your response to education@courtauld.ac.uk

Please enter the subject title ‘Sense of Self Submission – YOUR NAME‘

Once both steps are complete you will receive a confirmation email. Please allow five working days for this to be processed. If you do not receive an e-mail after five working days, please e-mail: education@courtauld.ac.uk

Sense of Self – Submission Guidance

This video has been created to support students document and submit their responses to Sense of Self. Sense of Self is a Live Brief for state school students and community groups, asking them to respond to Vincent van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear, 1889. Selected participants will have the opportunity to display their work in 91ԹGallery during Autumn 2025. The film features artwork created by artist Toya Walker and student Heidi Wunsche.

Submissions

Selected responses will be displayed in 91ԹGallery from Autumn 2025. Please view our submission details, guidance and entry criteria below.

Important dates:

Submissions open: Now
Submission deadline: Thursday 31 July 2025

Please keep all submitted artwork safe until we have notified participants. Selected artists will work with our gallery team between July and August to ensure safe delivery of artworks. The display will open in Autumn 2025. Submissions that are not selected for the display will be considered for our online exhibition, launching Autumn 2025.

Submission criteria

You must be currently studying in aUK based state school/college, homeschooled or have participated in Sense of Self as part of a community group with The Courtauld.

You can submit only one response, which must be your own work. This response can feature a series of components (for example, a series of photographs).

You are allowed to work collaboratively. Submissions will be accepted by individuals or groups working together.

Format:

You are encouraged to create a response to Vincent van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear (1889) in any media. This could include spoken word, a performance, an essay, a video, photograph(s), or an artwork in any media.

Please submit a digital image or file of your creative response with a short explanation of your work initially. If your work is selected for exhibition at The Courtauld, we will work with you to collect your work free of charge.

 

Submitting an artwork:

Your submission must behigh-resJPEG files (or equivalent). We recommend high resolution images of at least 300dpi.

Your submission can be a photograph or a scan and can be imbedded within a Word or PowerPoint document.

If your work is too large to e-mail (for example, a video), please e-mail: education@courtauld.ac.uk and we will send a large file transfer link.

 

Submitting a document:

Please submit your response within a Word, PDF or PowerPoint format.

If your submission is in a unique format (ie requires a special software to open) please e-mail us before submitting: education@courtauld.ac.uk

Size

You are welcome to create a large-scale response, however we recommend submissions are no bigger than A1 (594 x 841 mm). Due to the limitations of the gallery size, larger submissions will limit your chances of being selected to showcase your work at The Courtauld.

Work bigger than A1 can still be submitted in a digital format and will be considered for our online Sense of Self exhibition, launching in Autumn 2025.

Documenting your work

Clear and professional documentation is a vital skill when creating artwork. Please consider the following before submitting your response.

Taking images of your artwork:

  • Consider the background behind your artwork. Can you see anything which isn’t part of your artwork? Can you put a white backdrop behind your work, or tightly crop your image?
  • We wish to see the detail of your artwork, please take high quality images.
  • Make sure your image is well lit with equal lighting. This will enable you to capture better colours and details and reduce any shadows.

Writing about your artwork:

  • Does your artwork have a title? How would you describe your work to someone else? Think about how this may change how people engage with or understand your work.
  • Is there an aspect of the artwork that you can’t tell from your submission? For example, is there a moving part, or a way in which the audience is meant to interact with it, that we can’t see from your submitted image. How would you like it to be displayed?

Safety

Carefully consider your use of materials, ensuring these are safe for display in a public gallery space. You are responsible for the safety of yourself and others while creating your response.

Please note that it won’t be possible to exhibit very fragile artworks within the gallery.

Back to Sense of Self homepage

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]]> Sense of Self: Live Project Brief /take-part/schools/sense-of-self-live-project-brief/ Mon, 19 May 2025 15:34:28 +0000 /?page_id=148786 Sense of Self: Live Project Brief is a live brief for educational groups inviting them to explore Van Gogh’s famous Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear and artwork by contemporary Rachel Jones to find their own moment of artistic inspiration.

The post Sense of Self: Live Project Brief appeared first on The Courtauld.

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‘To me, a Van Gogh painting is the epitome of how to use colour, texture and a sense of self to create an image.’ Rachel Jones. For acclaimed contemporary artist Rachel Jones, looking at artwork by Vincent Van Gogh was her ‘first example of feeling inspired to be an artist’.

We invite young people from across the UK to explore Van Gogh’s famous Self Portrait with Bandaged Earand artwork by contemporary Rachel Jones to find their own moment of artistic inspiration.

Using art historical approaches, we will look closely at Van Gogh’s self-portrait and Jones’ artwork, thinking about the use of colour, mark-making, taking inspiration from Art History, and sensory exploration to understand how we might create our own ‘sense of self’ through artwork.

Whether you are an artist, writer, performer, designer, musician or historian we are keen for educational groups and your students to engage and respond to Van Gogh’s Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear. Selected artwork will be displayed in the Project Space at 91ԹGallery and online between Oct 2025 – Feb 2026.

painting of a man with a bandage covering his ear i Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear, 1889, Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890). © The Courtauld

Creating a response

A response is not a copy of the original artwork but a completely new interpretation. We are looking for a personal response that interrogates any aspect of Van Gogh’s famous Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear and comments on contemporary issues you are passionate about.

You might choose to focus on:

Self Portraits: How do people present themselves? How might self-portraits differ from reality?

Mark Making: What is Van Gogh’s mark-making technique? How is it similar or different to Rachel Jones? Can you devise an artwork using similar techniques?

Colour and Emotion: What emotion do you feel towards different colours? Do different colours make you feel different ways?

Multiple, colourful pastel strokes which form an eye and nose i Sense of Self, Van Gogh, Artwork Example. (c) Learning Team.

Teachers and education leads

Would you like to launch Sense of Self: Live Project Brief in your classroom?

We have a fantastic team of artists and art historians who are able to launch the live brief to your students. Sessions can be delivered online, at the gallery, or in-school/college.

We have a number of opportunities for schools/colleges to work with us on the live brief for a series of sessions. To book a session please e-mail: education@courtauld.ac.uk

Want to learn more? Attend our online Sense of Self: Live Project teachers event.

Teachers Session – Introducing Sense of Self: Live Project Brief (Online). Wed 21 May, 4pm – 5:15pm, online.

Multiple, colourful pastel strokes which form an eye and nose i Sense of Self, Van Gogh, Artwork Example, two. (c) Learning Team

Student workshops

Aged 16-18? Join one of our online or in-person workshops and discover more about our live brief and ‘Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear’. Our workshops are open to UK state schools and college students:

Introducing Sense of Self: Live Project Brief (in-person at 91ԹGallery)
Tue 27 May. 10am – 3pm.

Introducing Sense of Self: Live Project Brief (Online)
Wed 28 May. 10am – 11:15am.

Introducing Sense of Self: Live Project Brief (Online)
Thurs 29 May. 5pm – 6:15pm

Aged 16-18? Book onto a Sense of Self workshop now
i Van Gogh workshop attendees. Insights into Art History 2025. (c) Learning Centre.
Aged 16-18? Book onto a Sense of Self workshops
A teacher? Book onto a Sense of Self teachers webinar now
Contact us: education@courtauld.ac.uk

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Multiple, colourful pastel strokes which form an eye and nose

Sense of Self: Live Project Brief

Sense of Self: Live Project Brief is a live brief for educational groups inviting them to explore Van Gogh’s famous Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear and artwork by contemporary Rachel Jones to find their own moment of artistic inspiration.

Read more

The post Sense of Self: Live Project Brief appeared first on The Courtauld.

]]> Teachers Launch – Sense of Self: Live Brief /whats-on/teachers-launch-sense-of-self-live-brief/ Thu, 01 May 2025 13:04:38 +0000 /?post_type=events&p=149488 Discover The Courtauld's new schools/college exhibition brief, 'Sense of Self' and get involved.

The post Teachers Launch – Sense of Self: Live Brief appeared first on The Courtauld.

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Following on from our successful , we wish to invite state school teachers and educational group leads to the teachers launch of Sense of Self: Live Brief.

Sense of Self asks students to research and engage with Van Gogh’s famous ‘Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear’ and artworks by contemporary artist Rachel Jones to create exciting responses to Van Gogh’s portrait. Selected artwork will go on displayed in 91ԹGallery and online between Oct 2025 – Feb 2026.

Using our resources we are keen for teachers to launch Sense of Self within their classroom and this online session aims to provide information and guidance on how to lead this project.

The project is open to all UK based state schools and we encourage a wide range of subject areas to give involved.

 

We have a fantastic team of artists and art historians who are able to launch the live brief to your students. Sessions can be delivered online, at the gallery, or in-school/college.

If you are interested in this project but can’t attend this session, or would like to book in an introduction workshop, let us know by contacting education: education@courtauld.ac.uk

Multiple, colourful pastel strokes which form an eye and nose
Sense of Self, Van Gogh, Artwork Example. (c) Learning Team.
painting of a man with a bandage covering his ear
Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear, 1889, Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890). © The Courtauld
Multiple, colourful pastel strokes which form an eye and nose
Sense of Self, Van Gogh, Artwork Example, two. (c) Learning Team

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young people stood outside the Courtauld Institute of Art, waving hands and smiling

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The post Teachers Launch – Sense of Self: Live Brief appeared first on The Courtauld.

]]> Sense of Self: Van Gogh and Rachel Jones (online) /whats-on/sense-of-self-van-gogh-and-rachel-jones-online-2/ Thu, 01 May 2025 11:06:47 +0000 /?post_type=events&p=149448 Discover The Courtauld's new schools/college exhibition brief, 'Sense of Self' and get involved.

The post Sense of Self: Van Gogh and Rachel Jones (online) appeared first on The Courtauld.

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Following on from our successful, we are thrilled to launch our new brief for UK state schools/college students, ‘Sense of Self’.

This live brief will ask students to research and engage with Van Gogh’s famous ‘Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear’ and artworks by contemporary artist Rachel Jones to create exciting response to Van Gogh’s portrait.

This online session is the perfect introduction to the live brief, providing attendees the opportunity to think about how contemporary artists have used works in 91Թcollection to create their own work, bringing new understanding and meaning to these well-known artworks.

Throughout the webinar we will deepen our understanding of Van Gogh’s work through art historical research and devise ideas of creative responses.

Attendees will be provided with information on how to go about documenting and submitting their response. Selected artwork will go on displayed in 91ԹGallery and online between Oct 2025 – Feb 2026.

Key Information
Event: Sense of Self: Van Gogh and Rachel Jones (online)
Date: Thursday 29th May
Time: 5:00pm – 6:15pm
Location: Online, via MSTeams
Lunch: Lunch will be provided, free of charge

Please note this is a repeat of the session which takes place on Wednesday 28th May.

These workshops are free and open to students attending UK state schools and colleges.Suitable for ages 16-18, with preference given to Y12 students (or equivalent). Booking is essential due to popular demand. Any questions, please emaileducation@courtauld.ac.uk

Multiple, colourful pastel strokes which form an eye and nose
Sense of Self, Van Gogh, Artwork Example. (c) Learning Team.
painting of a man with a bandage covering his ear
Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear, 1889, Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890). © The Courtauld
Multiple, colourful pastel strokes which form an eye and nose
Sense of Self, Van Gogh, Artwork Example, two. (c) Learning Team

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the audience of a lecture

Young People (16-18)

The Courtauld’s Young People’s Programme offers an exciting series of free workshops, courses and events for young people aged 16-18 to explore 91ԹGallery Collection and engage with art history and art practice.

Read more
young people stood outside the Courtauld Institute of Art, waving hands and smiling

Summer University

Summer University at 91Թprovides the perfect opportunity for Year 12, state school or college students to explore the exciting and dynamic subject, History of Art.

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The post Sense of Self: Van Gogh and Rachel Jones (online) appeared first on The Courtauld.

]]> Sense of Self: Van Gogh and Rachel Jones (online) /whats-on/sense-of-self-van-gogh-and-rachel-jones-online/ Thu, 01 May 2025 10:59:10 +0000 /?post_type=events&p=149440 Come and discover The Courtauld's new schools/college exhibition brief, 'Sense of Self'.

The post Sense of Self: Van Gogh and Rachel Jones (online) appeared first on The Courtauld.

]]>

Following on from our successful, we are thrilled to launch our new brief for UK state schools/college students, ‘Sense of Self’.

This live brief will ask students to research and engage with Van Gogh’s famous ‘Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear’ and artworks by contemporary artist Rachel Jones to create exciting response to Van Gogh’s portrait.

This online session is the perfect introduction to the live brief, providing attendees the opportunity to think about how contemporary artists have used works in 91Թcollection to create their own work, bringing new understanding and meaning to these well-known artworks.

Throughout the webinar we will deepen our understanding of Van Gogh’s work through art historical research and devise ideas of creative responses.

Attendees will be provided with information on how to go about documenting and submitting their response. Selected artwork will go on displayed in 91ԹGallery and online between Oct 2025 – Feb 2026.

Key Information
Event: Sense of Self: Van Gogh and Rachel Jones (online)
Date: Wednesday 28th May
Time: 10:00am – 11:15am
Location: Online, via MSTeams
Lunch: Lunch will be provided, free of charge

Please note this is a repeat of the session which takes place on Thursday 29th May.

These workshops are free and open to students attending UK state schools and colleges.Suitable for ages 16-18, with preference given to Y12 students (or equivalent). Booking is essential due to popular demand. Any questions, please emaileducation@courtauld.ac.uk

Multiple, colourful pastel strokes which form an eye and nose
Sense of Self, Van Gogh, Artwork Example. (c) Learning Team.
painting of a man with a bandage covering his ear
Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear, 1889, Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890). © The Courtauld
Multiple, colourful pastel strokes which form an eye and nose
Sense of Self, Van Gogh, Artwork Example, two. (c) Learning Team

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the audience of a lecture

Young People (16-18)

The Courtauld’s Young People’s Programme offers an exciting series of free workshops, courses and events for young people aged 16-18 to explore 91ԹGallery Collection and engage with art history and art practice.

Read more
young people stood outside the Courtauld Institute of Art, waving hands and smiling

Summer University

Summer University at 91Թprovides the perfect opportunity for Year 12, state school or college students to explore the exciting and dynamic subject, History of Art.

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A family looks at a painting

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The post Sense of Self: Van Gogh and Rachel Jones (online) appeared first on The Courtauld.

]]> Collecting Impressionism in Winterthur & Wales: Oskar Reinhart and the Davies sisters in conversation and context /whats-on/collecting-impressionism-in-winterthur-wales-oskar-reinhart-and-the-davies-sisters-in-conversation-and-context/ Mon, 07 Apr 2025 11:42:15 +0000 /?post_type=events&p=148086 Join Samuel Raybone for this talk, exploring how the pioneering Welsh collectors, the Davies sisters, intersect with the collecting stories of Oskar Reinhart and Samuel Courtauld, in this talk exploring transnational networks of impressionist collecting

The post Collecting Impressionism in Winterthur & Wales: Oskar Reinhart and the Davies sisters in conversation and context appeared first on The Courtauld.

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Gwendoline (1882–1951) and Margaret Davies (1884–1963) were among the very first collectors of impressionism in Britain. Having started buying pictures in 1908, by 1914 they had amassed Britain’s most impressive and progressive collection of modern French painting, including works by Manet, Rodin and several exceptional late works by Monet. In the 1920s, they purchased works by Cezanne, Van Gogh, Vlaminck, and Signac. The Davies sisters collected as contemporaries of Oskar Reinhart (1885-1965) and at the forefront of British taste; even Samuel Courtauld (1876-1947) followed in their wake, coming to collect impressionism after encountering their Cezannes.

In this talk, Samuel Raybone will put the Davies sisters in context and conversation with Oskar Reinhart. The remarkable similarities in their collecting suggests shared contexts, overlapping networks, and transnational structures of knowledge which mediated their engagement with impressionism. Yet, for all the interconnectivity of the European art market, all three collected with the aim of bringing impressionism to a specific place, to benefit particular publics. Focusing on the specificities of early twentieth century Wales, Raybone reframes the Davies sisters’ collecting in light of the Welsh practices and discourses of impressionism which pre-existed and exceeded them. The Davies sisters’ impressionist landscapes – paid for with inherited wealth derived from the extraction and transportation of coal in service of the British Empire – were received as catalysts of Welsh national revival, and became imbricated in a complex knot of imperial enthusiasm, racial identities, and medieval fantasy.

Dr Samuel Raybone is Lecturer in Art History at Aberystwyth University. He has published widely on the Impressionist artist & collector Gustave Caillebotte. His current research examines the imperial and racial coordinates of impressionism’s transnational mobility in the early twentieth century, focusing on the collection, display, and reception of impressionism in Wales. A second project, Ephemeral Impressions, examines the impact of colour-printed ephemera on the development of Impressionist aesthetics.

Find out more about the exhibition Goya to Impressionism. Masterpieces from the Oskar Reinhart Collection at: /whats-on/exh-goya-to-impressionism-masterpieces-from-the-oskar-reinhart-collection.

Organised by Dr Ketty Gottardo, Martin Halusa Senior Curator of Drawings, and introduced by Dr Tom Stammers, Reader in Art and Cultural History, The Courtauld.

Paul Cezanne, Montagnes en Provence (The François Zola Dam), 1879 ca. © Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales. By permission of Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales.

Highlights from the exhibition:

A painting of a hospital ward, with men sat in the foreground
Vincent van Gogh, A Ward in the Hospital at Arles, 1889. Image: The Swiss Confederation, Federal Office of Culture, Oskar Reinhart Collection “Am Römerholz”, Winterthur
Painting of a hospital courtyard, featuring an arched walkway, trees and a fountain.
Vincent van Gogh, The Courtyard of the Hospital at Arles, 1889. Image: The Swiss Confederation, Federal Office of Culture, Oskar Reinhart Collection “Am Römerholz”, Winterthur
An oil painting of three salmon stakes by Francisco Goya
Francisco Goya, Still Life with Three Salmon Steaks, 1808-12. Image: The Swiss Confederation, Federal Office of Culture, Oskar Reinhart Collection “Am Römerholz”, Winterthur

The post Collecting Impressionism in Winterthur & Wales: Oskar Reinhart and the Davies sisters in conversation and context appeared first on The Courtauld.

]]> Masterpieces from the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham to go on display at 91ԹGallery /about-us/press-office/press-releases/masterpieces-from-the-barber-institute/ Fri, 04 Apr 2025 13:38:49 +0000 /?page_id=148031 The post Masterpieces from the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham to go on display at 91ԹGallery appeared first on The Courtauld.

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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 91ԹGallery 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 91ԹGallery while the Barber undergoesmajor building improvements.

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts was founded as a university gallery in 1932, the same year as 91Թ and its collection. Both were intended to encourage the study and public appreciation of art. Today, the Barber and 91ԹGallery are home to two of the finest collections of European art in the country.

Highlights of the display will includeSaint Jerome in the Wilderness(around 1445-60) – one of the earliest surviving works by Giovanni Bellini – along with Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun’sPortrait of Countess Golovina(1797-1800) and the strikingPortrait of a Man with a Skull, (around 1610-14) by Frans Hals. The Barber’s 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 Rossetti’s sumptuousThe Blue Bower(1865) and Edgar Degas’sJockeys Before the Race(1879). Max Pechstein’sStill Life in Grey(1913)– the Barber’s most recent painting acquisition – demonstrates the museum’s 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, ahandful of paintings with strong links to some of The Courtauld’s own works will be embedded in the permanent collection displays – among them,Joshua Reynolds’s monumental double portraitMaria Marow Gideon and her brother William(1786-87) and Anthony van Dyck’sEcce Homo(around 1625-26), which will be shown beside The Courtauld’s closely relatedMan of Sorrows(around 1622-25).

The Barber was founded by Hattie, Lady Barber (1869–1933) inmemory 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 Barber’s bequest also financed the construction of an exceptional building on the University of Birmingham’s Edgbaston campus. Designed by the architect Robert Atkinson (1883–1952), itopened 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 University’s 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
91ԹGallery
Katja and Nicolai Tangen 20th Century Gallery, Floor 3

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

 

Download the press release

Courtauld Barber release

About The Courtauld

91Թworks 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.

91Թcares for one of the greatest art collections in the UK, presenting these works to the public at 91ԹGallery 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 Gogh’s Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear and Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergère. It showcases these alongside an internationally renowned collection of works from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance through to the present day.

Academically, 91Թfaculty is the largest community of art historians and conservators in the UK, teaching and carrying out research on subjects from creativity in late Antiquity to contemporary digital artforms – with an increasingly global focus. An independent college of the University of London, 91Թoffers a range of degree programmes from BA to PhD in the History of Art, curating and the conservation 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, 91Թworks to increase understanding of the role played by art throughout history, in all societies and across all geographies – as well as being a champion for the importance of art 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 and expert short courses; digital engagement, innovative school, family and community programmes; or taking a formal qualification. The Courtauld’s ambition is to transform access to art history education by extending the horizons of what this is and ensuring as many people as possible can benefit from the tools to better understand the visual world around us.

91Թis 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 91ԹGallery is owned by the Samuel Courtauld Trust.

media@courtauld.ac.uk

About the Barber Institute of Fine Arts

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts is the art gallery, principal art collection and original concert hall for the University of Birmingham. It was founded in 1932 ‘for the study and encouragement of art and music’ by Lady Barber, who stipulated the acquisition of works ‘of that standard of quality required by the National Gallery and the Wallace Collection’. Housed in an elegant, Grade-1 listed building designed by Robert Atkinson, the Barber Institute is home to a National Designated Collection, acquired and owned by the Henry Barber Trust. Its holdings now include some 160 paintings, dating from the early Renaissance through to the late 20th century, more than 800 works on paper, as well as sculpture, decorative arts and one of the most important caches of Roman, Byzantine and Medieval coins in the world. The collection features key works by (among others) Giovanni Bellini, Sandro Botticelli, Rosalba Carriera, Edgar Degas, Thomas Gainsborough, Gwen John, Käthe Kollwitz, René Magritte, Edouard Manet, Claude Monet, Auguste Rodin, Peter Paul Rubens, JMW Turner, Vincent van Gogh, Elizabeth Vigée-Lebrun and James McNeill Whistler.

At the building’s heart is the immaculate Art-Deco concert hall, home to the prestigious Barber Concerts series, which features internationally renowned vocal and instrumental soloists and ensembles, and the Barber Opera.

The building is currently closed for the latest phase of a major building improvement programme, which includes installation of a level access entrance, a new fresh-air ventilation system in the concert hall, a refurbishment of the permanent collection galleries, a new learning wing and enhanced and an enlarged reception, retail and refreshment area.

For more information, visitbarber.org.ukand follow @barberinstitute on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook for regular updates, news and opportunities to engage with the Barber.

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]]> Landscape Artist of the year 2025 at The Courtauld /highlights/landscape-artist-of-the-year-2025-at-the-courtauld/ Tue, 25 Mar 2025 15:49:56 +0000 /?post_type=collection-hlights&p=145360 The post Landscape Artist of the year 2025 at The Courtauld appeared first on The Courtauld.

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This year marks the tenth series of Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year, one of its flagship television programmes. 91Թhas partnered with Sky Arts on the competition and presents the work of the winning artist, in the heart of its great collection of Impressionist landscape paintings.

Around 2,000 artists apply for the competition each year. The judges – art historian and broadcaster Kate Bryan, curator Kathleen Soriano and artist Tai ShanSchierenberg– select 48 to participate in the filmed heats. Each week, a group is taken to a remarkable location and given four hours to create their work. This year, the show travelled to Snowdonia, Bristol, Hampton Court and London’s St Pancras Basin. Three artists competed in the final, which was held at Stonehenge.

The winning artist of the 2025 competition is Benjamin MacGregor, a self-taught painter who works in London. His prize was a commission to travel to the south of France in the footsteps of three great artists in the Courtauld Gallery’s collection, Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne and Vincent van Gogh. His brief was to create a landscape painting based on his experience of this trip. MacGregor was especially captivated by Cézanne and spent time painting the landscape around the artist’s studio in Aix-en-Provence.

This led him to create the painting In the Shadow of Sainte-Victoire, which he produced back in London. It is a partly observed, partly imagined view from Cézanne’s studio looking out over the landscape that reaches to the Sainte-Victoire mountain range, which the Frenchman painted throughout his life. In the foreground is a plaster statue owned by Cézanne.

The figure appears in one of his most famous still-life compositions in The Courtauld’s collection. MacGregor’s inclusion of the sculpture against the landscape, framed by the studio window, draws us into an evocative world of art that feels both natural and staged.

The artist described his experience of making the work:

“When I got to Aix-en-Provence, and experienced the mountain first-hand, I found the weight of art history and the magnitude of the task ahead truly overwhelming. I decided to make the painting about this crisis. My approach was to blend the ‘traditional’ view with my own surrealist and fantastical aesthetic. I included features of two other Cézanne paintings I admire, and tried to acknowledge the degree to which the performative part of this commission had obsessed me.”

 

The painting can viewed in our LVMH Great Room by booking a ticket to our. 91ԹGallery is open Monday – Friday, 10am – 6pm (last entry 5.15pm).Courtauld Friends and under 18s go free.

Ben MacGregor on winning

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Two men sit across from each other at a table covered with a brown tablecloth, playing cards. Both men wear overcoats and hats, and the man on the left smokes a pipe. They sit inside a wooden building. i Paul Cézanne (1839-1906) The Card Players, around 1892-96, The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

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