Courtauld Gallery announces Plans for New Class Campus
The Courtauld announced plans to create a new world-class campus at Somerset House in London, a major development which will strengthen its position as a leading global centre for the visual arts.
The Courtauld, founded in 1932 by philanthropist and collector Samuel Courtauld, is an internationally renowned centre for the teaching and research of art history, conservation and curation, and is home to one of the world’s greatest art collections.
As the Courtauld approaches its centenary, this next milestone in its history will see a once-in-a-generation transformation of the historic Grade I listed building at Somerset House, creating a flexible, state-of-the-art campus and securing the Courtauld’s legacy for the next 100 years.
With a masterplan by 2025 RIBA Stirling Prize-winning architects Witherford Watson Mann, and designed in collaboration with Purcell and Lawson Ward Studio, the new Courtauld Campus is expected to open in 2029.
Witherford Watson Mann completed the major transformation of the Courtauld Gallery in the North Wing of Somerset House in 2021. This new phase of development will focus on upgrading and expanding the Courtauld’s remaining space at Somerset House, which will be newly connected to a suite of neighbouring townhouses on 152-158 Strand. The project will secure the long-term future of these townhouses and see their historic façades being elegantly restored. The Courtauld Institute and Gallery will be reunited, bringing the Courtauld’s students, staff, art historians, conservators, curators, visitors and art collection together under one roof.
The new campus will open directly onto the Strand, connecting the Courtauld to an exciting new cultural and intellectual quarter in the heart of the city, alongside its partner King’s College London. The campus will include flexible, modern teaching spaces, a new lecture theatre, and a spectacular library within Somerset House’s historic subterranean vaults.
The development comes at a time when the Courtauld is expanding into new areas of teaching and research, increasing its focus on global geographies such as the Americas, the African diaspora and the arts of Asia. The Courtauld’s curriculum also encompasses the art of Iran and Islam, China and India, whilst maintaining the Institute’s traditional excellence in European art history. The Courtauld has also recently launched a series of new MA programmes, including an MA in Art and Business and an MA in Curating, as it seeks to meet the evolving needs of students and the professional art world.
Main Image:A rendering of the new Courtauld Institute entrance. Illustration: Secchi Smith