A historical London gallery is slated to reopen in the last quarter of 2021 after extensive transformation works.
The Courtauld is preparing to welcome guests again to its legendary Central London gallery following a major project to restore existing features and create new state-of-the-art facilities.
Housed in the iconic Somerset House overlooking the River Thames, visitors will be able to get up close to masterpieces such as Van Gogh’s Self Portrait with a Bandaged Ear and Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergère in the reimagined Great Room.
Courtauld Gallery is housed in the prestigious 18th century Somerset House
All of the Courtauld’s treasured collection has been completely redisplayed and newly interpreted by their talented inhouse curators. New galleries will showcase a Medieval and Early Renaissance collection, along with 20th century art.
The refurbishment has also provided space for temporary exhibitions and six galleries in Blavatnik Fine Rooms, which will share works from Courtauld’s own collections.
The stellar project was made possible by a £9.5 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, a £10 million donation from the Blavatnik Family Foundation and many more generous foundations and individuals, including the AKO Foundation and The Garcia Family Foundation.
Exhibition space in the Blavatnik Fine Rooms
Commenting ahead of Courtald’s Gallery reopening, The Lord Browne of Madingley, Chairman of The Courtauld said: “The opening of the Courtauld Gallery will be a cultural highlight of 2021, bringing our unique collection back to public display.
“It is the first step in a contemporary transformation of The Courtauld, at a time when we are more aware than ever of the contribution of the arts to our wellbeing and the economy.
Thanking generous donors, he added: “None of this would be possible without the visionary philanthropy of our donors and supporters, to whom we owe a significant debt of gratitude.”
An exact opening date for The Courtauld Gallery is yet to be revealed, but will coincide with latest UK Government guidelines surrounding the COVID 19 pandemic.
Video delves into what we can expect at the reimagined Courtald Gallery
In other London news, the Florence Nightingale Museum has closed indefinitely as it struggles to weather the pandemic.
