Autumn 2014 - Courtauld Institute of Art
Transcription
Autumn 2014 - Courtauld Institute of Art
THE COURTAULD NEWS ISSUE NO. 36 AUTUMN/WINTER 2014 2 THE COURTAULD NEWS CONTENTS CONTENTS FROM THE DIRECTOR 3 ACADEMIC LIFE 4 ACADEMIC MILESTONES4 – A Golden Anniversary for History of Dress 5 – An Impressive Decade of immediations6 – The First Year of the MA in Buddhist Art: 7 History and Conservation Graduation 2014: ‘You Can Change the World’ 8 Fond Farewells: Georgia Clarke, 9 Lisa Tickner and John Milner The Faces and Minds Behind the 12 Research Forum Sharon Cather Further Honoured in China 13 A Medieval Summer at the Courtauld 14 GALLERY AND COLLECTIONS 16 Egon Schiele: The Radical Nude16 Forthcoming Exhibition Reassembles 19 One of Goya’s Private Albums Jasper Johns – Regrets20 The Gilbert and Ildiko Butler Drawings Gallery 21 Shedding Light on the Courtauld’s Loom Pulley 22 Revealing Goya’s Portrait of Francisco 23 de Saavedra Displays in the Print Study Room 24 Drawings by Alphonse Legros: Gifts to 24 the Courtauld Gallery COURTAULD LIFE Rosemary McAlonan A New Home in the New Wing Book Sale Continues to Thrive 26 26 27 27 ALUMNI28 Alumni by Numbers 28 Janine Catalano: Recollections from 30 the Alumni Office ‘Email an Alum’ 32 STUDENTS33 Hetty Uttley: The New Face Behind the 33 Student Union A Hat-Trick for Courtauld Societies 34 Starter for 10: The Courtauld’s First 35 Appearance on University Challenge Courtauld Students Among the Most Satisfied 36 with their Course PUBLIC PROGRAMMES After Hours at the Courtauld Gallery: Bringing the Collection to Life Students Use Courtauld Paintings to Bring Fresh Perspectives to Portraiture New Ventures for the Courtauld’s Widening Participation Programme Summer School: A Lecturer’s Perspective 37 37 SUPPORTING THE COURTAULD Announcing a Major £2.5M Gift to Support Academic Excellence New Campaign Encourages Legacy Giving Samuel Courtauld’s Legacy to Us Advice for your Bequest In Memory of Sophie Trevelyan Thomas Swarovski and Lexington Partners Lead Support for Schiele A Feast for the Eyes Samuel Courtauld Society in Focus 2013/14 Annual Fund Appeal One of the Most Successful to Date Jottings on the Samuel Courtauld Society’s Florence Visit 42 42 Thank you 54 Managing Editor Janine Catalano Cover: Egon Schiele, Two Girls Embracing (Two Friends) (detail), 1915. Szepmuveszeti Museum, Budapest Executive Editor Emma Davidson Designed by MB&Co Limited 39 40 41 44 44 46 47 48 50 50 51 52 FROM THE DIRECTOR THE COURTAULD NEWS 3 FROM THE DIRECTOR The year 2014 has proved to be another busy one at the Courtauld with many comings but, also sadly, some ‘goings’. In this issue of the News we bid a fond farewell to several of our esteemed colleagues: Georgia Clarke, Lisa Tickner, and John Milner, three much-loved members of our academic staff; and Janine Catalano, our Alumni Relations Manager and Managing Editor of the News. You can hear more about Georgia, Lisa and John on pages 9-11, and from Janine on her reflections of her time at the Courtauld on page 30. I would like to take this opportunity personally to thank all four for all they have done during their time at the Courtauld. I am delighted to say that this edition of the News is also packed with celebratory news. In the Gallery, October saw the opening of our exhibition EgonSchiele: The Radical Nude, which has received absolutely wonderful reviews in the press. We have been astounded by its popularity, with queues outside the Gallery on a daily basis. If you haven’t seen the exhibition yet, it is open until 18 January 2015. I would thoroughly recommend a visit over the festive period. I am also pleased to say that after extensive construction work, the new Gilbert and Ildiko Butler Drawings Gallery will open early in the new year (page 21). This is truly a celebratory moment for the Courtauld as it will allow the presentation of drawings that have not been exhibited since the Courtauld moved to Somerset House. In the academic sphere we celebrate several milestones including the first anniversary of the new Buddist MA course, a decade of immediations – the Courtauld’s post-graduate research journal, and half a century of the teaching of History of Dress (see pages 5-7). This autumn we also celebrate fantastic results in the National Student Survey (see page 36) and the Courtauld’s first ever appearance on University Challenge. The team was captained by BA final year student Anna Preston who shares her recollections of the experience on page 35. Congratulations to Anna and her team. We hope this will be the first of many University Challenge appearances for the Courtauld. Throughout this year we have also continued to build our widening participation programme, extending both our regional outreach and onsite activities. Having started in 2012 working with just one partner college, we now work with ten colleges across the country – a fantastic achievement in a short time. Last, but by no means least, with the festive season in mind, I am also delighted to announce that a major £2.5M gift has been received from the AKO Foundation to support an academic post at the Courtauld. This extraordinary gift, which was initiated by AKO founder, and Courtauld alumnus Nicolai Tangen (MA 2005), not only supports academic excellence but also makes a major contribution to the Courtauld’s campaign to increase its endowment fund to £50m from its current £36m and thus significantly supporting the Courtauld’s long-term sustainability. You can read an interview with Nicolai on pages 42-43. With all best wishes for the festive period and the new year ahead. DEBORAH SWALLOW MÄRIT RAUSING DIRECTOR I am also delighted to announce that a major £2.5M gift has been received from the AKO Foundation to support an academic post at the Courtauld 4 THE COURTAULD NEWS ACADEMIC LIFE Academic milestones Celebrating the first year of the Buddhist MA, ten years of immediations, and a half-century of History of Dress at the Courtauld Collage by Alexis Romano, PhD candidate, used as our blog’s signature image ACADEMIC LIFE THE COURTAULD NEWS A GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY FOR DRESS HISTORY 2015 is a significant year for us: it marks the fiftieth anniversary of History of Dress at the Courtauld, and therefore the golden anniversary of the subject’s birth as a formal academic subject within a university. Stella Mary Newton, whose previous roles included theatrical costume designer and couturier, set up the first course in 1965, when Anthony Blunt was director of the Courtauld. Aileen Ribeiro then led the MA option in History of Dress for over thirty years, consolidating its role and status as an area within art history, and teaching generations of students (myself included) the importance of visual analysis to dress history. Over this period, the subject has grown and developed from a connoisseurial approach, focused on the ways dress can be used to place and date paintings and other imagery, to a fully-fledged discipline in its own right. The Courtauld remains a centre of dress analysis within the history of art, and continues to show how representation is key to understanding dress and its relevance to debates concerning the body, gender and status. Over the past 50 years, History of Dress has grown, both within the Courtauld and beyond. It now occupies a key position in the Courtauld’s academic repertoire, with discussion of dress throughout undergraduate study, its own dedicated course at postgraduate level, and a growing cohort of doctoral students analysing subjects that span Brazilian dress, violence and fashion, readymade fashion’s growth and relationships between ballet, the body and fashion. Allied to this is increased collaboration between tutors, and this is an important way in which dress studies and art history are discussed and disseminated with colleagues and students. This year, for example, I will teach three sessions with Dr Robin Schuldenfrei, who is an architecture and design specialist. We will bring our MA groups together to consider the ways dress, art and design were interwoven in Weimar Germany. I will also be hosting online seminars with colleagues in Russia and South America to extend conversations to the international group of scholars now working in the field – something unimaginable in the mid-1960s, not just in terms of technology, and because of the tiny number of people then involved in the subject. In addition to this, we will hold events, including a conference on 16 May 2015, Women Make Fashion/Fashion Makes Women, to celebrate and analyse women’s role in creating, disseminating, wearing and analysing dress over the fifty years since the Courtauld’s initial foray into the area. This will be a chance for us to gather together scholars, curators, journalists and students to discuss key aspects of the History of Dress and reflect on the ways in which aspects of the subject, including fashion journalism and curating have changed over time. MA students studying an 18th century stomacher from the History of Dress Harris Collection of Textiles. Photograph Alexis Romano The conference will provide a focal point for our celebrations, and we hope to see many of you there (tickets will go on sale at the end of this term). We will also be writing about aspects of the subject, interviewing alumni and continuing to comment on all things relating to fashion and dress on our blog: http://blog. courtauld.ac.uk/documentingfashion/. We started this in April this year, and it has quickly grown in popularity – we regularly receive feedback from our readers across the globe. Written by tutors and postgraduate students currently studying History of Dress at the Institute, this is an important way for us to engage with a wider audience, and to share the fruit of 50 years of development in this exciting area. REBECCA ARNOLD (MA 1993) OAK FOUNDATION LECTURER IN HISTORY OF DRESS & TEXTILES History of Dress books in the Book Library. Photograph by Alexis Romano 5 6 THE COURTAULD NEWS ACADEMIC LIFE AN IMPRESSIVE DECADE OF IMMEDIATIONS Immediations is currently celebrating its tenth anniversary year. The first research journal to come out of the Courtauld Institute of Art since its inception in 1932, immediations publishes innovative research across the entire span of art history, from classical antiquity to the present day. Reflecting the strong research record of the Courtauld, immediations approaches the history of art from a wide range of perspectives and expertise, accommodating close reading of individual works of art and architecture, as well as theoretical and conservation issues. In celebration of this anniversary, immediations will hold a conference on 17 January 2015 to commemorate and celebrate its first decade of exciting and innovative research. Past editors-in-chief, board members, and contributors will give papers exploring the ways in which their current work reflects their early research interests and contributions to immediations, as well as how beginning their research trajectory with immediations has framed their own academic or professional journey. Speakers include Jonathan Katz, Scott Nethersole (BA 1999, MA 2000, PhD 2004) and Edward Wouk (MA 2003), with a keynote address on the state and value of student publishing to be given by one of the founder-editors, John-Paul Stonard (PGDip 1997, MA 1999, PhD 2004). For more information visit www.courtauld. ac.uk/researchforum/events/2015/spring/ immediations or contact immediations@ courtauld.ac.uk. Eva Bezverkhny PhD Candidate ACADEMIC LIFE THE COURTAULD NEWS The first year of the MA in Buddhist Art: History and Conservation The first cohort of students for the MA ‘Buddhist Art: History and Conservation’ has recently completed their studies. They graduated in October and one student has already found a job as a lecturer in Asian art in a college in the United States. During the course, the students visited a number of sites, including the spectacular Qianlong’s Fanhua Pavilion in the Forbidden City, where the Emperor housed his collections of Tibetan Buddhist art, and the Dunhuang Caves in China, where they studied the wall paintings and sculptures in great detail for ten days. While on site, they were given privileged access to Cave 220, a Tang dynasty cave with breathtaking wall paintings of the Western Paradise of Amitābha and the Eastern Paradise of the Buddha of Healing. These artworks are very well preserved, largely because they were covered by another later scheme, which protected most of the colours in all their glory. In most other caves, light and changes in relative humidity altered some of the colours to black or brown. With torches and microscopes, the students could closely inspect the paintings and study how they were made, and also how the addition of the later scheme has damaged them. During the course, they also had the opportunity to visit museums and galleries in London and Paris, to experience different approaches to the conservation and display of Buddhist art. A new cohort of student has just started the programme and the lecturers are looking forward to exploring with them the most appropriate ways of preserving Buddhist art for future generations. Giovanni Verri LECTURER IN BUDDHIST ART AND ITS CONSERVATION Students during a field trip to the Hirayama Pictorial Art Conservation Studio at the British Museum 7 8 THE COURTAULD NEWS ACADEMIC LIFE GRADUATION 2014: ‘You can change the world’ Honorary Doctor Martha Rosler’s exhortation to this year’s graduates the Courtauld as they explore the history and current practice of art, and the politicised art world. Martha Rosler receiving her Honorary Doctorate from Professor Deborah Swallow The Courtauld Class of 2014 celebrating at Somerset House In July, the jubilant peal of bells at St Clement Danes church signalled the beginning of the Courtauld’s annual Presentation Ceremony, during which 211 students received their BA, MA and research degrees and postgraduate diplomas in the presence of proud family, friends and faculty. At the heart of the ceremony, with enthusiastic applause and a crescendo of stamping feet in the pews, Professor Deborah Swallow awarded the Honorary Doctor of Letters Honoris Causa to the artist and writer Martha Rosler. Rosler’s work in video, photography, text, installation and performance has made striking contributions to thinking about art, and is of great import to students at Rosler addressed a receptive student body, and after pointing to concerted efforts to instrumentalize creativity and to remove funding from the arts, she affirmed their revolutionary potential: ‘I congratulate you on your accomplishments on this joyous occasion [and] exhort you to remember, in researching, reconstructing, writing and managing the histories – and maybe even while hobnobbing – that art and culture can spark the imagination of everyone… Art, art history, and responsible curatorial practices present only one repeated refrain: you can change the world, you can change the world, you can change the world. Dear friends and graduates, I urge you to hold fast to that refrain, and infuse history with revolution and delight.’ In a similar vein, and in recognition of their respective tireless and dedicated contributions to the life of the Courtauld, Neil Rudenstine and The Hon. Christopher McLaren were created Honorary Fellows. The Courtauld remains indebted to both men for their crucial input during its first decade of self-governance, and Professor Swallow explained that the award of the fellowship was the Courtauld’s humble way of expressing its sincere gratitude to them. Celebrations were appropriately exuberant back at the Courtauld’s home in Somerset House, where guests congregated on the upper terrace of the Edmond J. Safra Fountain Court for champagne and canapés, with the opportunity to roam free within the splendid Courtauld Gallery. As evening fell on a day of proud achievement for so many, there was a palpable sense of promise for the dawn of the next, the hum of chatter and merriment mixing into the hum of inspiration brought by Martha Rosler’s observant words of encouragement. Libby Ayres (BA 2003) Assistant to the Director ACADEMIC LIFE THE COURTAULD NEWS 9 FOND FAREWELLS During a week in early July of this year, shortly before the graduation festivities on 7 July, the Courtauld played host to three very bittersweet receptions to celebrate, thank, and bid farewell to a trio of much-loved members of our academic staff. Dr Georgia Clarke, who taught at the Courtauld for more than 20 years, and Visiting Professors John Milner and Lisa Tickner, all contributed hugely to research and teaching at the Courtauld and will be sorely missed as colleagues, tutors and mentors. Below are some reflections from these three eminent scholars: Georgia Clarke Georgia Clarke discussing architecture in Siena, 2009 I was very grateful to Debby Swallow for her support and understanding when I decided to ‘retire’, although, I’m not near pensionable age, and for arranging a wonderful event at the beginning of July that marked the end of a long connection with the Courtauld, beginning when I was a postgraduate student in 1984 and then as a teacher from 1992, but not, I hope an end of my involvement in the intellectual life of the Courtauld. My postgraduate experiences at the Courtauld, such as taking classes with Howard Burns, Lorne Campbell, Michael Hirst and Pat Rubin, formed an essential basis to my own research and teaching: both what was good and what was bad! I hope that I have put the best of that into practice over my years of teaching and advising students. While doing my PhD I also benefitted enormously, outside the Courtauld, from the personal warmth and intellectual generosity of Deborah Howard, Caroline Elam and Susie Butters. All three are, in fact, part of the wonderful tradition and heritage of the teaching of Renaissance and Baroque architecture at the Courtauld established by Anthony Blunt and Howard Burns. So, too, many of the students who have studied the subject at the Courtauld over the years have provided the backbone of the subject in British academia, while others have made valuable contributions in nondirectly-architectural realms. In the autumn of 1992 I was initiated into the ‘unique’ ways of the Courtauld as a member of the faculty. I never set out to be a teacher, but as I depart that role after 24 years I am the first to admit how much I have benefitted and gained from positive and fruitful engagements with many of my students here over the years. One happy legacy of my time at the Courtauld is that a number of student-teacher relationships have subsequently developed into warm and continuing friendships. I also want to acknowledge the intelligent and responsive support of staff over the decades in the Academic Registry, who provided the fundamental assistance and cooperation without which no academic institution can function or flourish. Last, but by no means least in my thoughts, are my academic colleagues: from those that I will be sorry to no longer be encountering on the West Wing stairs (which Jennifer Fletcher famously entitled the ‘Mount of Virtue’) to my medieval, Renaissance, and early modern colleagues who have over the years provided enriching art historical insights, companionship, and welcome, alternative viewpoints. The decision to leave my academic teaching career has been a hard one. I have been torn by my desire to explore and develop other kinds of husbandry and creativity and my ongoing enthusiasm for the study of 15th- and 16th-century culture and, indeed, for what collegial, cross-subject collaboration can offer too. I leave in the hope that present and future generations of Courtauld students can be enticed and persuaded of the value of the study of Renaissance architecture. Lisa Tickner I first came to the Courtauld in 1967 – to Portman Square. I’d been six years at art school and Nikolaus Pevsner, who had been external examiner there, had encouraged me to think of studying art history. I remember buying a Mary Quant ginger group dress in Selfridges on the way – I can’t think why as it cost 6 guineas and my grant was only £5 a week. I was interviewed by the registrar who pointed out that despite all the good things I might have to offer – I’d probably worked up some spiel about the importance of an art school training – I didn’t have Latin or Greek. Nor, for that matter, having left school at 16, the standard university entrance 10 THE COURTAULD NEWS ACADEMIC LIFE qualifications. I went home chastened if somewhat consoled by the Mary Quant dress. Years pass. (Picture here the calendar pages flipping over.) I acquired a PhD and ended up teaching at Middlesex, which was, for a period, a very lively and productive place to be, with terrific colleagues, early into the developing disciplines of design history and visual culture. If I thought of the Courtauld at all, I thought of it in traditional terms – ‘the Hamlish’, as Michael Frayn calls it in Headlong, where the wife of his hapless protagonist works in the Ecclesiology Department on comparative Christian iconography. (I certainly didn’t think of it in terms of Julian Stallabrass and High Art Lite or Mignon Nixon’s sperm bombs.) More years pass. Chris Green and Mignon invite me to the Courtauld for a sandwich lunch and eventually sound me out about some teaching. It turns out that Sir Nicholas Goodison is keen to establish an MA course on British modernism – except I don’t know it’s him until rather later. I take a day or two to think about it – much less, actually, but like juries you have to be seen to deliberate – and this is where the back story ends and the thank yous begin. First – Sir Nicholas, without whom I wouldn’t have had the pleasure of the last seven years, and also Judith, for their generous hospitality on our annual visits to their ‘collection’. And Chris Stephens, whose goodwill I’ve shamelessly exploited at Tate, but paying him back, I hope, in interns and assistant curators. And Cathy Courtney at Artists’ Lives at the National Sound Archive. And Poppy Mardall and now Bryn Sayles at Sotheby’s. And Richard Calvocoressi and his staff at the Henry Moore Foundation, and Amanda Bradley at Stanley Spencer’s Burghclere chapel – they’ve all been so hospitable, informative and kind. Here at the Courtauld I want to thank all my wonderful colleagues – Debby for her leadership, David Solkin as Dean, Christine Stevenson for being David this past year, Caroline Arscott for being Caroline (and Head of Research), Chris and Mignon for thinking of me for ModinBrit, as it’s known, all the people whose offices I’ve squatted in or shared – Katie Scott, Joanna Cannon, Paul Crossley, John Milner and Masha Mileeva (nothing now to resist the Russian advance in Study 5). Antony Hopkins, Vicky Kontou, Phillip Pearson and the rest of the library staff have been terrific. Sue Lawry of blessed memory and now Beverly Coates, Lisa Lu and the rest of the Registry (grace under pressure). Cynthia de Souza and Ingrid Guiot in the Research Forum. And Ernst Vegelin – it’s been such a privilege to walk across the carriage entrance and upstairs into the gallery, but especially Barney Wright, as 20th-century curator, who’s made generous contributions to the course. I raise a glass to my 57 students – ‘my’ is traditional but presumptuous – without whom I’d have had a much less interesting and sociable time (though I might have been a bit more productive on my own account). I wish you all the happiest of futures in your various berths – as PhD students, lecturers and curators. Finally, my family. Sandy has always been, despite the considerable pressures of his own job, the most loving and supportive partner. Kit, in flight from ‘art’ as the family business, chose maths, but came back round to culture as a theatre lighting designer. Eleanor, however, is a Courtauld alumna who works for Artangel and writes for Frieze. We’re very proud of her. And now you’ve snaffled Sandy for the Samuel Courtauld Trust you’ve had three-quarters of us one way and another. Thank you all for being at different times and in different contexts such wonderful friends and colleagues. I hope our paths will cross again. John Milner It was a great pleasure and a revelation to study at the Courtauld, and I feel privileged to have been allowed to return here. This extraordinary place has shaped and coloured much of my life, and certainly my career. I arrived for interview a nervous and rather ignorant student in the late 1960s, knocking at the great black door of 20 Portman Square. Once inside it became clear that I had somehow arrived a day early, but Antony Blunt and Alan Bowness immediately arranged an interview. I was amazed by this and astonished to be accepted. I feel comparable amazement at my return to the Institute, now at Somerset House, decades later. Being tutored by Alan Bowness, Anita Bruckner, John Golding, Tim Hilton, and other scholars introduced me to intensive ACADEMIC LIFE THE COURTAULD NEWS study, passionate discussions, vast amounts of written work, but also visits to studios and exhibitions. There was an inspiring and pervading sense of working together with tutors as investigators. Intense and close discussion provided an unforgettable experience in Home House with its Grecian urns on the grand staircase, lectures in the Ballroom, and study facilities that included the beautiful Blue Room with its Chinese wallpaper and mirrored doors. In the garden there I met fellow student Lesley Marlow, my future wife, who insisted that I pay my Common Room subscription. There was also time in Florence, cleaning oil and mud from the nostrils and ears of sculpted Roman Senators in the Ufizzi basement after the flood that also sent Cimabue’s Crucifixion floating off down the street. After all this I taught at Hornsey College of Art where art practice and art history collided, and at the Department of Fine Art at Newcastle University where painting, sculpture, printmaking and art history came together, not least in the Hatton Gallery where exhibitions acted as a medium for artists and art historians. But I remained tied to the Courtauld by my doctoral thesis on Russian Constructivism: Tatlin and Rodchenko, tutored by John Golding and examined by Norbert Lynton. Written slowly in cold stone dwellings isolated in the fields in Northumberland, this thesis confirmed the driving interest in Russian art that dominated my writing, teaching and exhibition work, and finally returned me to the Courtauld. It has been a magnificent adventure teaching an MA option, ‘Contacts and Contexts in Russian Art 1905-45’, and an honour to tutor such brilliant and committed PhD students from Russia and other countries. I have seen this ambitious, inspiring and scholarly team make links across the world, especially since the founding of the Cambridge Courtauld Russian Art Centre (CCRAC) together with Dr Rosalind Polly Blakesley at Cambridge University. It has been extraordinarily exciting to see the burgeoning realisation of CCRAC’s potential in international, interdisciplinary conferences, publications and collaborations, and growing continuously through its website and international liaisons, the thousand names on its mailing list, and the long list of respected scholars of Russian art who have spoken at CCRAC conferences. This is driven by Russianist PhD students at the Courtauld and at Cambridge University. It has been an immense excitement to act as co-founder and co-director. There have also been inspiring and effective entrepreneurial initiatives created by recent MA students, including the website Russian Art and Culture as well as GRAD, the Gallery for Russian Art and Design in London. The Courtauld has great success in this field, many applications, and many opportunities to sustain and develop this terrific potential. The exhilarations of my two periods at the Courtauld have been wonderful and different. I am deeply grateful for both. I shall also treasure the parting gift, presented eloquently by Maria Mileeva, of Iakov Tugendkholdt’s book Art of Degas, published in the 1920s with an exciting cover by Aleksandra Ekster. It will always remind me of this extraordinary institution and the importance to me of the people here and of the time when we worked together. 11 12 THE COURTAULD NEWS ACADEMIC LIFE THE FACES AND MINDS BEHIND THE RESEARCH FORUM With another academic year underway, we are delighted to announce a number of visiting scholars coming to the Research Forum. Dr Hélène Valance is the Terra Foundation for American Art Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow for 201415. She is currently working on a book entitled Nuits américaines: le nocturne dans l’art américain, 1890-1917, based on her PhD dissertation on nocturnes in American art at the turn of the 20th century (to be published by the Presses Universitaires de la Sorbonne, 2015). She has taught at Université Paris 7 and Ghent University, and has been a fellow at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., and Cooper-Hewitt in New York City. At the Courtauld, she will be giving a paper entitled ‘Whistler’s Mother: An International Misunderstanding’ in the Research Forum and teaching a BA2 course entitled ‘American Art, American Identities: Methods in American Art History from the 19th Century to the Present’ in the spring term. In January, we will be welcoming a Research Forum Visiting Curator: Dr Stephan Kemperdick, Curator of Early Netherlandish and Early German Painting at the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin. Kemperdick studied Fine Arts at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, then art history at Bochum University and at the Freie Universität Berlin. He has worked at the Städel Museum, Frankfurt, and the Kunstmuseum, Basel; he has been at the Gemäldegalerie since 2008. He has curated and cocurated several exhibitions, including The Master of Flémalle and Rogier van der Weyden (Städel Museum Frankfurt, Gemäldegalerie Berlin 2008/09) and The Road to Van Eyck (Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam 2012/13). Coming to the Courtauld in February, Daniel Barber (Assistant Professor of Architectural Theory and History, University of Pennsylvania School of Design) will be Terra Foundation for American Art Visiting Professor. Barber’s work is highly interdisciplinary, and he is particularly interested in design and in the emergence of global environmental culture. His first book, A House in the Sun: Modern Architecture and Solar Energy in the Cold War, will be published by Oxford University Press in the spring of 2015, and he is currently working on Climatic Effects: Architecture, Technology, and the Globalization of the International Style (to be published by Princeton University Press in 2016). Finally, in May, the Research Forum will host Professor Michael Ann Holly. Currently Robert Sterling Clark Visiting Professor 2014/15 (Director Emerita, Research and Academic Program, The Clark), Holly was co-founder and chair of the Visual and Cultural Studies Program at the University of Rochester, and Director of The Clark Art Institute from 1999 to 2013. The author of Past Looking: Historical Imagination and the Rhetoric of Images (1996), The Subjects of Art History: Historical Objects in Contemporary Perspective (1998), and Art History, Aesthetics, and Visual Studies (2002), her most recent book is The Melancholy Art (published in 2013 by Princeton University Press). Jocelyn Anderson (MA 2009, PhD 2013) Research Forum Supervisor For details of the events associated with these visits, and to sign up for the Research Forum mailing list, visit www.courtauld.ac.uk/researchforum ACADEMIC LIFE THE COURTAULD NEWS 13 Sharon Cather further honoured in China Over two days of official ceremonies in Beijing in September 2014, Sharon Cather received the People’s Republic of China Friendship Award, China’s highest award for ‘foreign experts who have made outstanding contributions to the country’s economic and social progress’. Organised by the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs [SAFEA], Vice Premier Ma Kai awarded a medal and plaque on the first day, while on the second day Xi Jinping, President of the PRC and General Secretary of the Communist Party, spoke with the award winners and hosted a banquet in the Great Hall of the People on Tiananmen Square. Nominated by the Dunhuang Research Academy (http://en.dha.ac.cn/) for her long-term contribution to the preservation of the fabulous site of the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas on the Silk Road (see The Courtauld News no.12, Autumn 2001), Sharon was honoured from among myriad foreign experts from around the world who work in China (in 2013 there were 630,000 such foreign experts). Friendship recipients included a Nobel laureate in economics, but were almost entirely engineers, scientists or medical professionals working on nuclear power plants, technology research, or health-care delivery, making Sharon all the more conspicuous for her contribution to China’s cultural heritage. The Courtauld’s collaborative programme – with the Dunhuang Academy and the Getty Conservation Institute – of teaching conservation of wall painting at MA level, begun in 2005 (see The Courtauld News no.19, Spring 2005), continues into its eleventh year in 2015, with students from a consortium of Chinese universities. Sharon commented that she was especially pleased by the recent appointment of four of the 2005-8 students to head departments at the Institute of Conservation of the Dunhuang Academy. Sharon Cather being awarded a medal and plaque by Vice Premier Ma Kai 14 THE COURTAULD NEWS ACADEMIC LIFE A Medieval Summer at the Courtauld At a time when medieval studies are under pressure at so many universities it is pleasing to report that they are in vigorous health at the Courtauld. The strength of the Courtauld’s own medievalists and the faculty’s openness to collaboration with other institutions were both in evidence this summer, making for a particularly rich programme of seminars, symposia and workshops under the aegis of the Research Forum. A notable feature of the summer’s conferences was how they illuminated the links in the Middle Ages between northern and southern Europe, the western and eastern Mediterranean, and beyond. A workshop in May entitled ‘Architectures of Knowledge’, organised by Dr Tom Nickson and Dr Stefania Gerevini, focused on one particular vehicle for the preservation of knowledge in the pre-modern Mediterranean: inventories. These apparently dry lists of (often long-lost) objects – books, vestments, altarcloths and chalices – are now yielding, under new methods of scholarly scrutiny, valuable evidence for the form and functions of medieval works of art and the religious, social or political structures in which they once performed a role. The Courtauld Gallery’s exhibition Court and Craft, on a masterpiece of Islamic metalwork in the Gallery’s collection, provided the occasion for a conference organised by Dr Sussan Babaie that set detailed analysis of the object in the context of the sophisticated culture that produced it: Il-Khanid Iran and Iraq in the 14th century. Still in May, the Courtauld hosted a conference, organised by Dr Antony Eastmond, on the mosaics of Thessaloniki. Leading scholars from Europe and the United States debated recent findings about these remarkable and beautiful works of art, which date from the fourth to the 14th centuries and form the most comprehensive ensemble of Byzantine mosaics in the world. A major conference on the art and architecture of the friars, organised by Professor Joanna Cannon, brought together some of the world’s leading scholars on the visual culture of the Franciscans and Dominicans, not only to showcase significant recent work but also to explore new approaches and avenues for future research. A similar perspective informed the conference in June, led by Professor Susie Nash, to mark the 50th anniversary of the publication of Erwin Panofsky’s fundamental book on tomb sculpture, one of the landmarks of 20th-century art history. The papers re-examined Panofsky’s legacy in the light of recent developments in research techniques and approaches that have revolutionised the study of funerary monuments in medieval and early modern Europe. The Courtauld’s medieval summer reached a fitting climax with the twoday conference in July, organised jointly with the British Museum by Dr Catherine Yvard and Naomi Speakman, on gothic ivories. Papers examined questions of iconography, sources, original use and context, collecting, and the making (including the forging) of ivory sculptures. The conference provided an exciting overview of how far the study of these objects has progressed since – and in no small measure as a consequence of – the foundation of the Courtauld Gothic Ivories Project, led by Professor John Lowden and launched on the web in 2010. Here, as in the earlier conferences, PhD students and early-career researchers presented their findings alongside established authorities in the field. It all promises a bright future for medieval studies at the Courtauld. John Renner PHD CANDIDATE For further information about these and other events see the Research Forum’s archive: www.courtauld.ac.uk/ researchforum/archive/2014/summer. shtml; and blog: http://blog.courtauld. ac.uk/researchforum/. See also www.gothicivories.courtauld.ac.uk/ John Lowden (left), Joanna Cannon (centre) and colleagues examining an ivory triptych ACADEMIC LIFE THE COURTAULD NEWS 15 16 THE COURTAULD NEWS GALLERY AND COLLECTIONS Egon Schiele: The Radical Nude GALLERY AND COLLECTIONS THE COURTAULD NEWS It remains a surprise to many that there has not been a museum exhibition in the United Kingdom dedicated to Egon Schiele for nearly 25 years. Moreover that show – at the Royal Academy in 1990 – was the first ever at a museum in this country. Equally surprising is the fact that there are no significant works by Schiele in British public collections; two prints, in the V&A and Barber Institute respectively, are all we have. As part of our strand of exhibitions dedicated to important episodes in the history of drawing, the Courtauld Gallery’s exhibition, Egon Schiele: The Radical Nude, is a first attempt to address this remarkable lacuna. Egon Schiele, Crouching Woman with Green Headscarf, 1914. Leopold Museum – Privatstiftung, Vienna. Schiele (1890–1918) lived a short but urgent life. He quickly became recognised as a major avant-garde artist in Vienna in the turbulent years around the First World War. Schiele’s Vienna was a remarkable cultural arena. It was home to artists, writers and intellectuals such as Gustav Klimt, Oskar Kokoschka, Arthur Schnitzler and Sigmund Freud, who explored in different ways the fundamental nature of human desires, drives and experiences in the modern world. Schiele’s major contribution to this culture of insight and creativity was to produce some of the period’s most radical and penetrating depictions of the human figure. The Courtauld exhibition explores the development of his drawings and watercolours of the male and female nude. These are works that helped to make Schiele’s name as an artist of technical and expressive brilliance and as one who dared to push the genre well beyond the boundaries of artistic and social decorum. Drawing played an especially important role in Schiele’s figurative art. His drawings were usually produced as independent works in their own right and demonstrate his commitment to the medium as a way of investigating both human form and human nature. The exhibition brings together 38 major sheets dating from his breakthrough year of 1910 to his untimely death in 1918. They have been loaned 17 from public and private collections internationally, including a significant group from the Leopold Museum in Vienna – the world’s most important holding of the artist’s works. Schiele arrived in Vienna in 1906, aged 16, from his Austrian hometown of Tulln to study at the prestigious Academy of Fine Arts. A highly gifted draughtsman, he was a rebellious student. Emboldened by his mentor Klimt, Schiele left without graduating to join Vienna’s progressive art scene. In 1910 he began to produce nudes of unprecedented power and originality that broke away from the Academy’s conservative approach to life drawing. Schiele took as his subjects an unconventional variety of people including himself, his sister, his lovers, male friends and female prostitutes. He also drew babies and pregnant women observed in a Vienna clinic. Rather than assuming traditional poses, Schiele’s subjects adopt a striking body language consisting of expressive gestures, painfully twisted stances and sexuallycharged poses. This exhibition begins with a rich selection of nudes from this seminal year, including a number of Schiele’s nude self-portraits, demonstrating how his approach was closely tied to his introspective examination of his physical and psychological make-up. The main section explores his provocative nudes of the next eight years when he pushed artistic conventions to explore themes of self-expression, procreation, sexuality, eroticism and death. These were fertile concerns in the socially and psychologically charged atmosphere of pre-war Vienna. Some of his works affronted contemporary Austrian standards of morality and there were even those who considered them pornographic. In 1912 Schiele was imprisoned for two months for contravening public decency. Following his release, the nude remained an important part of his artistic repertoire, alongside landscapes, portraits and 18 THE COURTAULD NEWS GALLERY AND COLLECTIONS allegorical subjects. They are often highly erotic, but from 1913 onwards they display a greater solidity and even monumentality. The artist continued to depict himself but drew more heavily on female models, including his lover Wally Neuzill, and from 1915, his new wife, Edith Harms. Schiele’s drawings and watercolours were bought by a small circle of collectors and began to be more widely exhibited as his public recognition rose. Schiele was conscripted into the army in 1915 and despite relatively light duties his art inevitably suffered during the First World War. However, in 1917 he was able to return to Vienna and his work flourished. Some of his most important nudes were produced during this year but they would prove to be his last. On 28 October 1918 Schiele’s pregnant wife Edith died of Spanish flu. Three days later Schiele suffered the same fate; he was 28 years old and was on the brink of becoming one of the leading artists of his time. In the early stages of the exhibition installation, even with only a few works on the walls, the room felt highly charged, and only more so once all the pieces were in place. His nudes still seem vital – contemporary even – one hundred years after they were made. I suspect few will be shocked by his frank depictions of the naked body in the way people once were. What is most gripping today is Schiele’s breathtaking draughtsmanship and the way he uses it, not to transform the naked body into an idealised and ‘safe’ nude, but rather to address unflinchingly a rich complex of human emotions, desires and fears. Barnaby Wright (BA 1999, MA 2000, PHD 2005) Daniel Katz Curator of 20th Century Art Egon Schiele: The Radical Nude is on display in the Courtauld Gallery until 18 January 2015. For more information visit http://www.courtauld.ac.uk/gallery/ exhibitions/2014/Schiele Egon Schiele, Erwin Dominik Osen, 1910. Leopold Museum – Privatstiftung, Vienna. GALLERY AND COLLECTIONS THE COURTAULD NEWS 19 FORTHCOMING EXHIBITION REASSEMBLES ONE OF GOYA’S PRIVATE ALBUMS OF DRAWINGS One of the treasures of the Gallery’s drawings collection is Goya’s Cantar y bailar (Singing and dancing) . This extraordinary and mysterious depiction of two old crones originates from one of Goya’s so-called private drawings albums. Goya began to create these albums of drawings relatively late in life, after the shattering illness that left him stone deaf before the age of fifty. In his album drawings Goya committed to paper his views on human nature and the world around him. It was a practice he would sustain until his death, creating eight albums that originally included a total of some 550 drawings. Never intended for public display or sale, the albums were disbound after the artist’s death. The subsequent wide dispersal of the drawings has severely complicated the systematic study of the albums and many fundamental questions remain unanswered. The Courtauld’s drawing comes from what is known as Album D, one of the least studied of the private albums. With its themes of witchcraft, visions and nightmares, the predominant imagery of Album D offers a particularly important perspective on the development of Goya’s interest in old age and its relationship to the fantastic and diabolical. This album will be the focus of a major exhibition in the Gallery in February 2015. Curated by Stephanie Buck, Martin Halusa Curator of Drawings, and renowned Goya scholar Juliet WilsonBareau, this ground-breaking exhibition will be the first to bring together from many different collections the sheets that make up an entire album. Generously assisted by colleagues in museums and private collections, the curatorial team has been coordinating an international research project to examine and assess all the known drawings thought to have come from Album D. Alongside the original pagination that survives on some of the drawings, close study of the physical evidence through forensic technical research is now offering the thrilling possibility that we might be in a position to propose a full page by page reconstruction of the album. We hope that this highly ambitious project will be a template for future research of Goya’s album drawings. For the wider public the exhibition will surely provide a fascinating and enlightening view of a very private and personal Goya. Ernst Vegelin van Claerbergen (PG DIP 1993, MA 1994, PHD 1999) Head of the Courtauld Gallery Goya: The Old Women and the Witches Album opens at the Courtauld Gallery in February 2015. For more information visit http://www.courtauld.ac.uk/gallery/ exhibitions/ Francisco de Goya y Lucientes, Singing and Dancing (Cantar y Bailar), 1819-20 20 THE COURTAULD NEWS GALLERY AND COLLECTIONS Jasper Johns, Regrets, 2013. Private collection. Jasper Johns – Regrets One of the highlights of my career to date was visiting Jasper Johns in his Connecticut studio this past February. Meeting such a legendary figure of modern art was powerful enough but then to be taken by him to see the extraordinary new body of work that he had just completed was overwhelming. It was clear immediately that this new series of drawings and paintings, called Regrets, was exceptional. It was equally apparent that to show the Regrets series at the Courtauld Gallery would be a perfect continuation of our new strand of special displays dedicated to work by major contemporary artists, inaugurated last year with Richard Serra: Drawings for The Courtauld. We left the studio that cold February afternoon convinced that we wanted to bring the works to London and wondering how we would be able to make that a reality. The answer came surprising quickly with the extremely generous support of The Garcia Family Foundation who shared our enthusiasm for the project and enabled us to bring the exhibition to fruition a little over six months later. The Regrets series has a particular connection to London because the paintings and drawings stem from Johns’ encounter, in June 2012, with an old photograph of Lucian Freud reproduced in an auction catalogue. The battered image shows Freud posing, headin-hand, on a bed in Francis Bacon’s London studio in 1964. Bacon had used the photograph as source material for one of his paintings, folding, tearing and crumpling it in the process. Johns combines the damaged features of the photograph with the image itself in his Regrets series. He initially explored the photograph by photocopying, tracing and drawing it before deciding to double and mirror the image. By doing so the form of a skull appeared unexpectedly, like an apparition. Johns worked and reworked this new composition in a variety of media, including a memorable group made with ink on plastic sheets. Each painting and drawing offers a fresh exploration of the subject with elements given different emphasis in each case. Viewing the series feels like a meditation on mortality and creativity, with the two GALLERY AND COLLECTIONS THE COURTAULD NEWS 21 The Gilbert and Ildiko Butler Drawings Gallery Top and centre: The Courtauld Gallery foyer showing the hoardings during building works. Bottom: The ceiling of the drawings gallery prior to raising. The lower edge of the primary steel beams will be raised to abut the lower edge of the secondary steels. The exposed parts of the timber beams will be cut off to increase ceiling height. figures of Freud flanking the skull further conveying these themes. Most of the works bear the inscription, Regrets – Jasper Johns. At first this seems to be a profound sentiment of melancholic reflection. In fact the lettering is based upon a rubber stamp Johns had made several years ago to respond swiftly to the numerous invitations he receives. This humorous stamp on the works seems to be Johns’ refusal to offer us the final meaning of the series through their title (can a rubber-stamped regret be authentic?), leaving the viewer free to interpret the works for themselves. It is also a brilliant puncturing of the potentially overwrought subject matter of skulls and figures in melancholic reflection. There is a type of gallows humour at work in the Regrets series that makes its modern treatment of the memento mori tradition all the more human and compelling. Barnaby Wright (BA 1999, MA 2000, PHD 2005) Daniel Katz Curator of 20th Century Art The last issue of the News announced the exciting plans to build a dedicated space for drawings at the heart of the Gallery. Work on this scheme – the most significant capital project in the Gallery for some 15 years – is now well underway. Named in honour of Gilbert and Ildiko Butler and further supported by a growing group of international friends of the drawings collection, the new room will be on the mezzanine floor of the Gallery, directly off the main staircase. Instead of having their visit interrupted by a puzzlingly blank mezzanine landing, visitors ascending the stairs from room 1 will soon find open doors leading to a beautiful intimate gallery. Designed by Witherford Watson Mann Architects, the new space for drawings promises to be a revelation in every respect. It will not only add an important extra dimension to the visitors’ experience of the Gallery, but it will also give us a new platform with which to work with the collection. A series of four or five displays will be organised each year, and planning for these is fully in progress. The displays will range from projects conceived with the faculty and students to focused research-led displays involving loans. Above all the programming will be flexible and dynamic, unfettered from the many expectations which attend larger more expensive exhibitions. As readers will see from the accompanying image, we are now in the midst of the building work. The floor has been lowered and the ceiling is in the course of being raised. Services for the environmental control systems will soon start going in. The construction works will end in November and the new facility will open in mid January with a display provisionally entitled Unseen. This opening project will present a selection of drawings that have not been exhibited since the Courtauld moved to Somerset House. Looking beyond the familiar masterpieces, it is intended to draw attention to the depth and range of our drawings collection and to articulate one of the primary purposes of the new space, namely to increase public awareness and enjoyment of our drawings. Ernst Vegelin van Claerbergen (PG DIP 1993, MA 1994, PHD 1999) Head of the Courtauld Gallery 22 THE COURTAULD NEWS GALLERY AND COLLECTIONS Shedding Light on the Courtauld’s Loom Pulley Coordinated by Courtauld curator Alexandra Gerstein with the aim of shedding new light on rarely seen objects in the sculpture and decorative arts collection, the Illuminating Objects Internship offers postgraduate students from outside the history of art the chance to collaborate with the Gallery in researching and presenting a one-object display. As a student of West African Anthropology whose interests lie in the relationship between craft, learning and work, when I heard, while still immersed in fieldwork in Ghana, that the Courtauld Gallery was looking for someone to work with their small collection of African objects I was keen to find out more. Arriving at the Courtauld to begin work, the Guro loom pulley quickly caught my eye. A delicately carved tool from what is now Côte D’ Ivoire, featuring an idealised image of feminine beauty, the pulley would have hung as an object of reflection in the line of sight of the weaver as he worked. Having spent a year in Ghana learning how to weave with similar tools, I had a visceral and embodied feeling of how the object was most likely made and used. The challenge of the project then became translating an anthropological understanding of craftwork in West Africa into a display which would make sense in the Gallery and to its visitors. Communicating complex ideas about the social context in which the loom pulley would have been used and made between two disciplines, I was forced to clarify my thinking and consider carefully what an anthropological perspective could tell us about an object that is over a hundred years old. Alongside these more philosophical questions, the practicalities of mounting the display were a really rewarding opportunity to engage with the Gallery space and visitors’ experience of it. Months of work suddenly came together when the loom pulley was in its case, installed near Amedeo Modigliani’s Female Nude of 1916, a painting which was undoubtedly influenced by similar Guro objects. Displayed in the case in a way that mirrored how the pulley would have hung in the weaver’s loom, the delicately carved, elongated features of the face caught the light, drawing the visitor’s eye across the room. Leaving the Gallery that afternoon, the project having drawn to a close, I took pleasure in having had the opportunity to work with such a beautiful object and share some of my fascination with the art of West African craft. Niamh Collard GALLERY AND COLLECTIONS THE COURTAULD NEWS 23 REVEALING GOYA’S PORTRAIT OF FRANCISCO DE SAAVEDRA Paintings by the 18th-century Spanish master Francisco de Goya are extremely rare in the UK, and the Courtauld Gallery holds the only full-length portrait in this country. The sitter is Don Francisco de Saavedra (1746–1819), depicted by Goya in 1798 during his term as minister of finance under King Charles IV. Despite its importance, the Portrait of Saavedra has never been properly examined. It left Spain in 1910 and eventually entered the collection of Viscount Lee, one of the founders of the Courtauld, who bequeathed it to the Samuel Courtauld Trust in 1947. It was long believed that the work was in poor condition and that its thick, yellow varnish disguised a very abraded paint surface. Recent technical examination, however, revealed that the paint is intact and that Goya simply applied his pigments very thinly and loosely, as he did in numerous other works. A cleaning of the painting is now underway in the Conservation and Technology Department. After removing surface dirt, Maureen Cross and Aviva Burnstock slowly took off most of the thick varnish that has obscured the painting for the past century. The sense of space in the work is restored, as are the stunning bright hues of Saavedra’s blue silk jacket. The Gallery’s chief conservator, Graeme Barraclough, will carry on the treatment in the new year, applying a fresh varnish to protect the work and retouching areas where paint has been lost. Francisco de Goya y Lucientes, Portrait of Don Fracisco de Saavedra, 1798 This treatment is being carried out in advance of the exhibition Goya: The Portraits, which will open in October 2015 at the National Gallery. There, the Courtauld’s painting will be reunited with the portrait (now in the Prado in Madrid) of Saavedra’s close friend, Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos, produced that same year. Stay tuned for the big reveal! Karen Serres (MA 1999, PHD 2004) Schroder Foundation Curator of Paintings 24 THE COURTAULD NEWS GALLERY AND COLLECTIONS Displays in the Print Study Room The Prints and Drawings Study Room is the primary place to view and study works from the Courtauld Gallery’s rich collection of works on paper. As well as offering visitors the opportunity to study individual works, the Study Room also hosts a changing selection of curated displays of prints. Three displays per year, each devised by members of the team of postgraduate Print Room assistants, showcase different facets of this collection and in some cases address themes and questions raised in concurrent displays, exhibitions and events within the Gallery and the Institute. The current display, curated by Print Room assistants Camilla Pietrabissa and Austeja Mackelaite, addresses the Anthony van Dyck, Half length portrait of the architect Iacobus de Breuck, to left holding a compass in his left hand, 17th century Drawings by Alphonse Legros: Gifts to the Courtauld Gallery The Courtauld Gallery is honoured to have received generous gifts of three drawings by Alphonse Legros (1837–1911). Together, they significantly augment the Gallery’s holdings of work by an artist who served as an important bridge between the French and British art worlds in the latter half of the 19th century, as well as providing an insight into the renewal of interest in Old Master drawing techniques in the same period. Legros, born and trained in France, settled permanently in London in 1863. As Professor of Fine Art at the Slade from 1876, his teaching was noted for the emphasis it placed on the value of students learning directly from the Old Masters. That Legros practised what he preached is evident in the copies he made using traditional techniques. Head of a Man (1894), copied from an Italian Renaissance model, is a very fine example of Legros’s mature practice. Executed in metalpoint on red prepared paper, it reveals the sophistication of Legros’s technique: the subtle modelling is achieved through a combination of GALLERY AND COLLECTIONS THE COURTAULD NEWS theme of the ‘intelligent hand’ in Early Modern prints. Camilla and Austeja were also the organisers of this year’s Early Modern Symposium (8 November), which explores and expands upon the same theme, and the display acts as a creative link between the activities of the Institute and the Gallery. The hand has always been central to the fashioning of artistic identity because of its ability to express the relationship between the physical and the intellectual. Two groups of prints – a selection of artists’ portraits drawn from important print series published in the Netherlands and France during the seventeenth century, and plates from Italian and Dutch artists’ manuals focusing on the depiction of the hand – offer insights into two different aspects of the notion of the interdependency of the hand and the mind that has informed and fascinated artists, scientists and philosophers from Aristotle onward. Print Room displays may be viewed on a drop-in basis (no appointment needed) on Wednesday afternoons during term time, 1.30-4.00 pm. Rachel Sloan (MA 2002, PhD 2008) Assistant Curator of Works on Paper white heightening added with a brush and scratching into the coloured ground. Two early studies after classical sculptures made while he was a student at the Ecole des Beaux Arts, the Venus de Milo (1855) and the Mattei Ceres (undated, but likely produced around the same time), reveal the roots of Legros’s love of the antique, which he would go on to promote through his teaching. Head of a Man has been presented by Courtauld alumnus Dr Donato Esposito (MA 1999), while the studies after the Venus de Milo and the Mattei Ceres are the gift of art critic and dealer Jack Wakefield. Rachel Sloan (MA 2002, PhD 2008) Assistant Curator of Works on Paper Alphonse Legros, Head of a Man, 1894. Gift of Donato Esposito. 25 26 THE COURTAULD NEWS COURTAULD LIFE ROSEMARY McALONAN For the past year and a half, Rosemary McAlonan has held the new post of Institute Marketing and Communications Manager, helping to promote the Courtauld’s tremendous degree programmes as widely as possible. Here she illuminates a few aspects of her role: The thing I found most surprising about the Courtauld when I started working here was…how interdisciplinary art history is as a subject. The breadth and depth of the teaching at the Courtauld is really impressive. I am always surprised by how much is delivered by such a small team of staff. Although the Courtauld is one of the smallest colleges of the University of London, it still has to deliver the same range of services as much larger, more resourced institutions. My job at the Courtauld involves... maximising brand awareness and raising the profile of the Courtauld with key stakeholders, namely prospective applicants and other key influencers in the higher education and arts sectors. I have a particular remit to attract wellqualified applicants to the Courtauld’s undergraduate and postgraduate programme portfolio and to diversify its student body. The best part of my job is...working in the beautiful Somerset House. It is a real cultural hub and has always been one of my favourite places in London. Also getting free access to the city’s museums and galleries is a great bonus. The worst part of my job is…as a new marketing function for the Institute my workload is incredibly varied and busy, which is a great experience; however, the downside is not having enough time to be as creative as I’d like. The most rewarding experience during my time at the Courtauld so far has been…working with such a friendly community of like-minded scholars and students dedicated to the study of art history, conservation and curation. I really enjoy when I get to interact with Courtauld students, for example the student ambassadors during open days. I have worked at a number of universities in the UK and I find the students here to be really impressive, engaging and focused. The thing that would most surprise others at the Courtauld about me is… before working in marketing, I came from an international office background which took me all over the world – Asia, South America, the Middle East, Africa and Europe. My favourite artwork in the gallery is… Monet’s Antibes. I lived in the South of France for a year after graduating to improve my French. This painting captures the colours of the place perfectly and brings back happy memories of my time there. The best part of my job is working in the beautiful Somerset House. It is a real cultural hub and has always been one of my favourite places in London. COURTAULD LIFE THE COURTAULD NEWS 27 A NEW HOME IN THE NEW WING The Courtuald has recently taken occupation of ten rooms on the first floor of the New Wing of Somerset House, situated on the west side of Somerset House. Over the summer, the Development office, the Marketing and Communications team and the Finance department relocated into these spaces from the North Block. In addition, the newly acquired space has provided a new Visiting Lecturers Centre and two seminar rooms, the latter accommodating groups of between five and 50. These bright and airy rooms offer an improved working environment for staff and students, and have freed up much-needed space in the North Block. A strategic review of the Courtauld’s facilities will now be undertaken, which will assess how to improve spaces to support and enhance the student and staff experience. Anthony Tyrrell Facilties Manager Top: One of the new meeting rooms; Bottom: The entrance to the New Wing from the Somerset House courtyard BOOK SALE Yet again, thanks to our team of stalwart volunteers brilliantly led by Eva Barker (MA 2007), the Courtauld Book Sale provided the perfect start to this academic year. Not only does this annual event provide students, staff and alumni with an opportunity to obtain amazing publications at much-reduced prices, but it also brings new audiences through our doors and increases awareness of the Courtauld. Moreover, this year the sale raised an astounding £17,748 in just eight days, all of which supports student travel grants to facilitate in situ research. Our heartfelt thanks go to all those who helped, purchased, and donated to this effort. We collect donations annually from mid-August to mid-September. For further information, please contact [email protected]. 28 THE COURTAULD NEWS ALUMNI Alumni By Numbers There are Courtauld alumni living in 71 countries, including Lithuania, Mauritius, Vietnam, Chile, Gibraltar and Iraq. We have 10 international regional groups, headed by 13 stalwart volunteer alumni chairs. Chicago, USA Rome, Italy Norwich, England Los Angeles, USA Toronto, Canada Brighton, England Bristol, England Berlin, Germany Athens, Greece According to our records, the cities with the biggest alumni populations after London (1,968) and New York City (252) are: Edinburgh, Scotland Paris, France Cambridge, England Oxford, England WHERE IN THE WORLD Art historians are not, on the whole, known to be an especially numerical bunch. And it is certainly true that many of the achievements of the Courtauld’s 6,712 identified former students are unquantifiable in any number of ways. However, for a change, we thought it might be interesting to take a quantitative lens to our graduates and their activities. The figures might surprise you… Alumni work for countless institutions around the world, but have a particularly strong presence at the following: 60 47 46 35 25 Scottish National Galleries, Edinburgh National Trust, UK-wide 15 13 12 10 British Museum, London Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York National Portrait Gallery, London National Gallery, London English Heritage, UK-wide Victoria & Albert Museum, London Tate, UK-wide The Courtauld Institute and Gallery, London Sotheby’s, worldwide 19 18 Christie’s, worldwide IN THE WORKPLACE 27 Royal Academy of Arts, London 38 By our count, 848 alumni hold a PhD, either from the Courtauld or another institution. In 2014, we had a record 211 graduates join their fellow alumni. In the 18 months between January 2013 and June 2014, 1,193 alumni attended at least one of the 82 Courtauld Association events held in 35 cities in 10 countries in that period. Our alumni are socialmedia savvy, with 2,215 registered on the Courtauld Association Network site, and 956 members of the Courtauld Association LinkedIn group. 31 alumni are Samuel Courtauld Society members, and a further 42 are Friends of the Courtauld. Since the launch of the Courtauld Association in September 2007, 24 alumni have served as elected members of the Courtauld Association Committee. GIVING BACK More than 1,100 of our alumni hold two or more degrees from the Courtauld. KEEPING CONNECTED ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS ALUMNI THE COURTAULD NEWS 29 1,160 alumni have offered to help with careers advising or speaking to current or prospective students. Over the past five years, 161 alumni have provided advice to current students at one of our Londonbased careers sessions. As of 30 September, 305 job and internship opportunities had been posted on the Career Centre of the Courtauld Association Network site in 2014. 247 alumni are signed up as Alumni Ambassadors on the Courtauld Association Network site. 253 Courtauld alumni donated to the 2013/14 Annual Fund, contributing a total of £43,200 (40% of the overall appeal). Help us keep up to date! If you think the information we hold about you may not be correct, email [email protected] to update your information, or complete and return the enclosed Alumni Update Form. And although we have contact details for 5,573 Courtauld alumni, we’re always trying to reach those who have fallen out of touch! So if you know of fellow graduates who aren’t in the alumni loop, please do ask them to drop us a line. 30 THE COURTAULD NEWS ALUMNI Janine Catalano: RECOLLECTIONS FROM THE ALUMNI OFFICE I would personally like to thank Janine on behalf of the Courtauld for all she has done during her seven years in the post of Alumni Relations Manager. Starting in post directly after completing her MA at the Courtauld Janine has brought passion and energy to the role and completely transformed the alumni relations programme over the years. I do not think there is a single alumnus who does not know Janine’s name! Janine will be sorely missed by the Courtauld community and particularly by the alumni, but we wish her the very well in her new role as Programme Director for the American Associates of the Royal Academy Trust and for the future. Below Janine reflects on her time at the Courtauld. DEBORAH SWALLOW MÄRIT RAUSING DIRECTOR When I first arrived at Somerset House eight years ago, fresh from the US and not yet knowing what to make of London, I could never have predicted how this institution would impact my life. My year spent studying for an MA in 2006/7 – for a term with Shulamith Behr and then under the supervision of Chris Green – transformed my outlook on art history and exposed me to some of the most intelligent, engaged individuals I know. During that year, I grew to feel very much at home and starting hatching plans to stay in London. While completing my thesis, I saw the role of Alumni Relations Manager advertised, stumbling upon it the day before the deadline. I applied with relatively little experience but a lot of enthusiasm, and was so delighted and grateful to be offered the position. Upon starting in September 2007, I was thrown into a whirlwind of activity and possibility, with the launch of the Courtauld Association only a month away. That first year was a chaotic but exhilarating one, culminating in the planning and delivery of 41 events over a three-day weekend in July 2008 in celebration of the Courtauld’s 75th Anniversary; I will never forget my whistlestop tour of nine London galleries in the course of three hours in an effort to visit and photograph all of the simultaneous alumni reunions taking place across the whole of London! Building on that momentum, I was encouraged in my efforts to expand the programme further. The roster of Courtauld Association events has grown from under a dozen to over 70 events a year, ranging from expert exhibition tours to pub quizzes and everything in between. Outside London, many of these fall under the domain of the stalwart chairs of our ten international regional groups, created over the past six years, which have been a great pleasure to support. It has also been fantastic to unite alumni from around the world during occasions such as the Venice Biennale, TEFAF, Frieze, the CAA and AAH conferences, and other such happenings that have become happily anticipated moments that bring our community together. And of course, it has been tremendous fun to work on the annual Courtauld Summer Party, including soirees at the Courtauld, Haunch of Venison, Tate Modern, and the 80th Anniversary iteration at Tate Britain. (And don’t forget – the 2015 Summer Party will take place at the Whitechapel Gallery on 10 July 2015!) Courtauld Association Committee, October 2010 ALUMNI THE COURTAULD NEWS My position has also allowed me to collaborate with incredible colleagues, from the inimitable Debby Swallow to individuals in all departments of the Institute, in order to help the Courtald thrive. In addition to my fantastic colleagues in the Development Office, I have been privileged to work closely with a great number of the Courtauld’s eminent academics and talented curators, who have been so crucial to the alumni programme’s success. As the Managing Editor of this publication since 2008, impossibly attempting to fill the shoes of its founder Jane Ferguson (MA 1975), as well as an elected member of the Governing Board from 2011-2014, I have been engaged with issues that span the entire scope of the Courtauld. I am also very pleased that, over the past three years, we have been able to establish the Courtauld Association Careers Certificate, in order to increase the employment opportunities of our students, and that this programme is now an embedded part of the institutional framework. On top of all this, I have been so grateful for the fact that my own academic pursuits have been encouraged, and I have had the opportunity to apply my interest in the intersection of food and art to activities in the gallery and further afield that have engaged our graduates and supporters – something I have thoroughly enjoyed and hope to continue. Above all, however, the thing that has kept me so motivated over these seven years is the exceptional Courtauld alumni with and for whom I have had the pleasure to work. I have never ceased to be astounded by the accomplishments and talents of the alumni, from recent graduates to our earliest students. Their enthusiasm for the Courtauld and their generosity in supporting it in so many different ways – leading events, supporting current students, giving philanthropically, serving on committees, and much more – speaks both to the uniqueness of this amazing institution throughout its history, as well as to the exceptional qualities of those that pass through its halls. There are far too many alumni who have supported me, both personally and professionally, during these past seven years for me to be able to thank in these few paragraphs, but three require particular mention: Robin Simon (MA 1971), for his amazing leadership and positivity in the transition from CAFS to the Courtauld Association; Stuart Lochhead (BA 1994), for following Robin Simon and Development staff at the 75th Anniversary Party, 2008 Surrealist Spectacular, May 2012 Greek Alumni Group launch, 2010 31 32 THE COURTAULD NEWS ALUMNI ‘Email an Alum’ The Courtauld is looking for alumni to participate in the ‘Email an Alum’ scheme. Feasting with Picasso Dinner, 2013 Robin as the Courtauld Association Chairman, committing endless hours to championing alumni, and just ‘getting it’; and Jane Ferguson herself, without whom there really would not have been any alumni relations programme at all, and who will always be the Courtauld’s ‘Alumna-in-Chief’. For me, the Courtauld has provided so much more than an education and a job. It has given me insights into leadership, selflessness and intelligence; it has expanded my understanding of the profound impact that art and its champions can have on the world; it has enabled me to meet people, explore places, and have incredible experiences that I could never have even imagined a decade ago; and it has provided me with a home and a family during my eight years in London. While it will be very hard to leave, I am so grateful for everything I will take away from my experience, and I am heartened to know that I will be connected to the Courtauld as a proud and active alumna in New York. I look forward to seeing what wonderful things lie in store for the alumni programme and the Courtauld as a whole, and to remaining a part of this extraordinary community. Janine Catalano (MA 2007) The new Alumni Relations Manager will be introduced in the Spring/Summer 2015 issue of The Courtauld News. In the meantime, for any alumni queries, please contact: [email protected] or ring +44 (0)20 3751 0541 This service allows postgraduate offer holders to make contact with Courtauld alumni and ask them questions about their experiences of studying at the Courtauld and the benefit this has had on their careers. Alumni should be willing to answer questions about: • Life as a student at the Courtauld • Their experience of moving to, and living in, London • Studying in the UK • Their transition back home and move into employment Please note your contact details will not be made public. All queries will be submitted via an online form and checked by a member of staff at the Courtauld before being passed on. Alumni will not be expected to answer queries about the following: (these will be passed on to the relevant department): • Admissions, entry requirements and the application process • Fees or financial support • Immigration Further information Ideally we are looking for alumni who have graduated within the last ten years. If you are interested in participating in the ‘Email an Alum’ scheme please contact [email protected]. Please note: if you already volunteered last year there is no need to contact us as we will be in touch shortly to confirm if you are willing to participate again in the 2014/15 academic year. STUDENTS THE COURTAULD NEWS 33 HETTY UTTLEY: THE NEW FACE BEHIND THE STUDENT UNION The role of Student Union President at the Courtauld is one that comes with more expectations and higher responsibilities each year, as the predecessors are more and more successful during their tenures. This is part of the reason why I wanted to become the new president, continuing the traditions of an increasingly active and engaged student body, facilitated through the union’s events and encouragement. During my time as President I hope to get a dynamic and engaged student team together, to support the union and each other. We will work for the students, creating an interesting and varied social calendar of events, facilitating student societies and publications. Our Freshers’ Week to start the year was full of activities that allowed new students to experience different parts of their new home city and to visit venues they will hopefully return to with new friends. The programme included a tour of Kenwood House in Hampstead, a look at street art in London’s East End, bowling, cinema, cocktails in Notting Hill, burgers in Battersea and pizza in Soho. Following a very successful Halloween party, we are currently planning our Christmas celebrations, and of course already have our minds on the summer Ball, which is always the highlight of the students’ social calendar. As part of my job this year I would like to encourage and facilitate an interest in political activism at the Courtauld, offering students the change to become engaged in the exciting and progressive action of larger student bodies around London, from which Courtauld students have previously felt somewhat disconnected. I am excited by what lies ahead, and look forward to what will no doubt be a challenging but also very rewarding spring and summer term. I have a lot to learn, but can’t think of a better place to do so! HETTY UTTLEY (BA 2014) Students Union President I would like to encourage and facilitate an interest in political activism at the Courtauld, offering students the chance to become engaged in the exciting and progressive action of larger student bodies around London 34 THE COURTAULD NEWS STUDENTS A hat-trick for Courtauld Societies Many student societies witnessed a great surge activity during the the last academic year, including (to name just three) the Drama, Jewish and Literature Societies. The Drama Society held its first full-length play, Twelfth Night, in the student café. The play was a great success, with two sold-out performances, and the cast received standing ovations and huge compliments. After months of rehearsals and practices, it was truly worth all the hard work. The play was recorded and is currently undergoing computer enhancement, with the plan being to screen a highlights version in the lecture theatre later this year. The Jewish Society held a variety of events, from celebrating the festival of Chanukah with traditional doughnuts, to occasional lunches and shared events with other societies in London. We were visited by Rabbi Gavin Broder who shared his thoughts on the current situation for Jewish students. Additionally, several members of the society enrolled on the Genesis Challenge, which led to visits to the Holocaust death camps of Poland – including Belsen and Auschwitz – with survivor Dov Landau, and a two-week tour of Israel. This year the society plans to host lectures about Jewish artists and art historians including Roy Lichtenstein, Marc Chagall, Ernst Gombrich and Erwin Panofsky. Last year, the Literature Society kicked off with a celebration of Alice Munro, who had just won the Nobel Prize for Literature. The society regularly chooses a specific piece of literature to read and then meets some weeks later to discuss it as a group. The chosen Munro piece was her beautifully crafted short story ‘The Bear Came Over the Mountain’. The society then delved into Colm Toibin’s evocative book The Testament of Mary, which was shortlisted for the Man Booker brize. For the Christmas read, the haunting Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Mutakami was read over the holidays and discussed in the new year. To follow in this somewhat chilling vein, the disturbing short story ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ by Charlotte Perkins Gilman was chosen and well received by members. The cast of Twelfth Night All students at the Courtauld are encouraged to join any societies. More information can be found by contacting Student Union President Hetty Uttley or the society president. HARRISON GOLDMAN (BA2) All students at the Courtauld are encouraged to join any societies. More information can be found by contacting Student Union President Hetty Uttley or the society president. STUDENTS THE COURTAULD NEWS 35 Starter for 10 – The Courtauld’s first appearance on University Challenge Final year BA student Anna Preston captained the Courtauld’s first ever team to appear on BBC2’s University Challenge and reflects on the experience below: The University Challenge team. From left: Annie Gregoire, Matthew McLean, Anna Preston (team captain) and Thomas Bodinetz, with host Jeremy Paxman Earlier this year, months and months of revision paid off when I received a call from the University Challenge production team to say that the Courtauld had successfully made it through their gruelling selection procedure and would be one of only 28 teams to appear on the live televised shows. Excitement soon turned to nervousness as the reality of what we had achieved set in! Our team included students from different year-groups with me as captain. When we arrived at the studios at Salford’s MediaCity we had no idea who we would be up against. The studio itself was daunting as it all began to feel very real under the glare of the lights and in front of the cameras. Luckily a number of friends, family and fellow Courtauldians had made the trip to Manchester to cheer us on which helped us relax and enjoy the experience. The production crew and presenter Jeremy Paxman were lovely, the latter putting us at ease with his velvet tones, chatting to us with genuine intrigue before the cameras started to roll. In the match, which aired earlier this summer on BBC1, we competed against Bristol who were a very strong team. The dreaded ‘science bonuses’ left us predictably baffled and Bristol triumphed, but considering we were a team of four art historians, encompassing 1% of our student body, I think Annie, Matt, Tom and I, and our wonderful reserve Nathan, should feel very proud. Although we didn’t get through to the next round, it was an incredible thing to do and a pleasure to represent the Courtauld. Thank you to everyone who watched and supported us – we look forward to helping make the Courtauld’s appearance on University Challenge a regular occurrence! Anna Preston (BA3) 36 THE COURTAULD NEWS STUDENTS Courtauld students among the most satisfied with their course in the UK The Courtauld Institute of Art came out as one of the top universities in the UK according to the National Student Survey of undergraduates (NSS) which released its results earlier this autumn. The Courtauld achieved an impressive overall satisfaction score of 100% for the quality of its course. The National Student Survey is a high profile annual census of nearly half a million students across the UK. It produces influential public information on higher education, giving final year students a powerful voice to help shape the future of their institution. Our results have improved in seven of the eight question categories, including: Satisfaction with Teaching, Assessment and Feedback, Academic Support, Organisation and Management, Learning Resources, Personal Development and Overall Satisfaction. Students praised teaching staff, rating the Courtauld highly for quality of teaching (100%), staff being good at explaining things (100%) and staff being enthusiastic (99%); 100% found the course to be intellectually stimulating. This is a wonderful achievement for the Courtauld. As Professor Deborah Swallow remarked: ‘We are delighted that we have achieved overwhelming recognition from those who matter the most – our students. The results confirm our high standards of excellence and our reputation for giving the students firstrate teaching and support. We would like to thank all our final year students who completed the survey and all staff for contributing to the quality of the student experience. We will continue working hard to ensure with our Students Union to engage with and listen to feedback to ensure that we provide the best educational experience for every student at the Courtauld.’ PUBLIC PROGRAMMES THE COURTAULD NEWS 37 After Hours at The Courtauld Gallery: Bringing the Collection to Life Incredible contortions by Pixie Le Knot. 38 THE COURTAULD NEWS PUBLIC PROGRAMMES For the past five years, the Courtauld Gallery has run a programme of late events to give the public the opportunity to enjoy the Gallery’s exhibition and collection after hours. A wide range of activities are on offer at each event, from gallery talks, art workshops and music performances to food and drink in the Gallery Café. These are tailored specifically to each exhibition in order to contextualise the subject matter through multidisciplinary interpretation. The aim is to attract a broader, more diverse audience to the gallery by offering a fun, convivial and relaxed atmosphere complemented by carefully selected activities to enrich and put the works on display in a broader context. This summer we piloted a new approach to these events, focusing of our permanent collection. Two Lates took place on the 3 July and 14 August with the theme of ‘Bohemian Paris’. Visitors were invited to join us for a night of curiosity and spectacle as we brought to life the excitement of Bohemian Paris in the 1890s through a range of interventions in the gallery. The events proved hugely popular with a total of 805 visitors attending across the two evenings, many of whom arrived in stunning fancy dress costumes, which added to the bohemian atmosphere. Our resident craft aficionado Francesca Herrick (BA 2007, MA 2008) helped ensure everyone looked the part by leading a drop-in workshop making ‘curious corsages and bohemian button holes’ inspired by Renoir’s La Loge. Moving through the galleries visitors were treated to pop-up performances inspired by the Folies-Bergère including contortion by Pixie Le Knot as well as Parisienne Burlesque and fan dance by Tempest Rose of House of Burlesque. The sounds of the Parisian boulevards were recreated by Martina Schwartz who played the songs and street music of the Belle Epoque, and musettes by Jacques Brel and Edith Piaf on accordion. The green fairy of the Moulin Rouge also joined us for the evening. Patrons of the café were invited to partake of a tipple of absinthe whilst hearing a talk about the controversial drink. One could also strike a pose in our recreation of the Bar from Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergère or enjoy shadow theatre performances, which evoked the entertainment of the infamous Bohemian Paris haunt, Le Chat Noir. A programme of talks on key works from the era aided visitors in exploring works by artists the time including Toulouse-Lautrec, Van Gogh and Manet. SARAH GREEN PROGRAMME MANAGER, GALLERY LEARNING For information about upcoming Lates, please visit www.courtauld.ac.uk/gallery/ exhibitions/lates. As out Lates often sell out in advance, early booking is advised. Left: Shadow puppetry captivates audiences. Right, top to bottom: Parisian dancing; enjoying the absinthe; talking about Toulouse-Lautrec PUBLIC PROGRAMMES THE COURTAULD NEWS 39 LOOK AGAIN: STUDENTS USE COURTAULD PAINTINGS TO BRING FRESH PERSPECTIVES TO PORTRAITURE This year’s Look Again project, in partnership with Newham Sixth Form College (NewVIc), was another great success. This project is the third event in an ongoing partnership between the Courtauld and NewVIc. We were also delighted to expand the project this year to Year 8 and Year 9 students from St Angela Ursuline Convent School. Eleven Year 12 students from NewVIc and 19 students from St Angela Ursuline worked closely with Courtauld staff to explore how image and identity were expressed in portraiture before the widespread use of photography. They chose individual works from the Courtauld Gallery’s world-renowned collection and carried out their own research with art historian Francesca Herrick (BA 2007, MA 2008). They then reinterpreted their chosen paintings to create photographic portraits in collaboration with artist photographer Marysa Dowling. We were also delighted to enter the work in the Newham Art Schools exhibition, Art Matters, at the University of East London in July 2014. Students gained confidence in interpreting and also in making art, as evidenced by the accompanying photographs. At NewVIc, this was showcased in the autumn term of 2014 with the Look Again students taking part in a photography masterclass with Marysa Dowling, and introducing younger students to the art of photography and portraiture. Our partnership with NewVIc is growing stronger each year with great plans for the 2014/15 year already in place. Look Again 2014 is generously funded by the Oak Foundation as part of the Courtauld Institute of Art’s widening participation programme for young people. Alice Odin (MA 2005) Oak Foundation Young People’s Programme Coordinator Left: Malanye Espinosa Santamaria, Te Rerioa (The Dream), photographed by Marysa Dowling, 2014. Inspired by Paul Gauguin. Right: Imran Thomas, Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear, photographed by Marysa Dowling, 2014. Inspired by Vincent Van Gogh. 40 THE COURTAULD NEWS PUBLIC PROGRAMMES NEW VENTURES FOR THE COURTAULD’S WIDENING PARTICIPATION PROGRAMME In 2014 the Courtauld built on its widening participation programme, extending both its regional outreach and its onsite activities. Meghan Goodeve (BA 2010, MA 2011), one of the Oak Foundation Young People’s Programme Coordinators, and Dr Katherine Faulkner (MA 2009, PhD 2013), Widening Participation Academic Coordinator, explain more about these exciting new advances below. Since its launch in July 2012, the regional outreach programme now works with ten colleges across the country including New College Swindon, Sheffield College, Ashton Sixth Form College, Folkestone Academy and Sussex Coast College. As part of this expansion, the original partner college – New College Nottingham (NCN) – and the Courtauld teamed up to host an innovative art history celebration event held in Nottingham. This attracted 60 young people from across three schools – NCN, Redhill Academy and South Wolds Academy – and worked in partnership with Dr Lucy Bradnock (BA 2003, MA 2004) from the University of Nottingham. The day started with a number of visual analysis activities, run by Helen Higgins (PG Dip 2012, MA 2013), Meghan Goodeve and Alice Odin (MA 2005), followed by a stroll to Nottingham Contemporary to consider curating in the exhibition Somewhat Abstract. It was a great success with students feeding back they had learnt ‘new perspectives’ on artworks and felt confident to use these methodologies back in the classroom. Alongside our regional outreach events, we are now running a new series of activities for young people across London. Entitled ‘Insights into Art History’, the programme offers participants a taste of art history in all its various forms. With activities built around the Courtauld collection, the students experience different types of learning and gain new skills, such as analysing images and primary texts. The ‘Insights’ days are an accessible way into the widening participation programme at the Courtauld and many students then apply to join our popular widening participation Summer University and receive follow up advice and support in areas such as study skills and applying to university. Our next two ‘Insights’ days this October half term will give participants a rare chance to work first hand with the Courtauld’s prints and drawings collection, and to explore the work of Jasper Johns with curator Barnaby Wright and award-winning contemporary artist Nadine Mahoney. These developments to the widening participation programme suggest an exciting future for young people’s continuing engagement with the Courtauld. Meghan Goodeve and Katherine Faulkner With activities built around the Courtauld collection, the students experience different types of learning and gain new skills, such as analysing images and primary texts PUBLIC PROGRAMMES THE COURTAULD NEWS SUMMER SCHOOL: A LECTURER’S PERSPECTIVE In September last year I approached Short Courses Programmer Dr Anne Puetz (MA 1994) with a proposal for a new Summer School course based on my research on the intersection between food and art. I was delighted that she was interested in the idea, and after some discussion, we agreed on a course titled ‘From Still-Life to Eat Art: Food as Subject and Medium in Modern and Contemporary Art’. As thrilled as I was, the prospect of teaching this intensive week-long course to such a diverse audience was rather daunting. However, after many months of research and preparation, as well as much advice and insight from Anne and previous Summer School lecturers, I arrived at the Courtauld on 4 August to greet my students, excited but not quite knowing what to expect. What followed was one of the most rewarding weeks I have experienced. The students were indeed varied, ranging hugely in age, nationality and experience, from a Masters student at the Sorbonne studying digestion in 1970s art to an amateur artist in her 70s from Hong Kong to a commercial gallery director from Brussels. However, they were universally engaged, and their different perspectives only served to enrich our discussions and expand the framework in which we considered the topic at hand. They tackled quite challenging works and theories, ranging from subversive surrealism to radical feminism to conceptual performance art, with aplomb and enthusiasm. During our site visits to various galleries, they not only responded to works with great curiosity, but also enabled me to view works very familiar to me through fresh eyes, in turn provoking many more questions for my own research. And thanks to the meticulous organisation of Anne, Jackie Sullivan, Liz Kutesko and their amazing team, course tutors and students alike were looked after throughout the week with the utmost care and hospitality. I finished the week with a rather hoarse throat, but hopeful that the students had taken away some new ideas from the course, and grateful for the opportunity to meet such an interesting group of people, with whom I have since kept in touch. I was also equally inspired by speaking with my fellow course tutors, whose subjects ranged from the court of Lucca to American Pop, and wishing I could be a student myself on their courses! It is certainly a week that was rewarding beyond all expectations, and I hope to be able to teach on this wonderful programme again in future. Janine Catalano (MA 2007) For details of the 2015 Summer School courses, as well as other short courses offered by the Courtauld’s Public Programmes department, visit http:// www.courtauld.ac.uk/publicprogrammes/ shortcourses/. Many courses book quickly – and they also make great holiday gifts! – so don’t delay! Janine Catalano discussing works by Claes Oldenburg with two of her students. Photo by Steven Larcombe. 41 42 THE COURTAULD NEWS SUPPORTING THE COURTAULD ANNOUNCING A MAJOR £2.5M GIFT TO SUPPORT ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE The Courtauld is delighted to announce that a major gift has been received from the AKO Foundation to create a fund to support an academic post at the Courtauld. This extraordinary gift makes a major contribution to the Courtauld’s campaign to increase its endowment fund to £50m (from its current £36m), and makes a significant contribution to our long-term sustainability and excellence. The gift was the brainchild of AKO’s founder and Courtauld alumnus, Nicolai Tangen (MA 2005), and its primary purpose is to support the study of European art of the 20th century. We are overwhelmed by this generosity, and our heartfelt thanks go to Nicolai and Katja Tangen and the AKO Foundation. The first holder of this new post is Dr Robin Schuldenfrei, whose MA course this year is entitled ‘Experiencing Modernism: Utopia, Functionalism and Time of Turmoil’. This is Robin’s first year at the Courtauld and she has eight students on her course. Speaking of the gift Robin said: ‘This is a truly inspiring gift, I am thrilled to have joined the Courtauld and look forward to teaching many future generations of Courtauld students under the aegis of this post.’ During his studies Nicolai was taught by Dr Shulamith Behr, now Honorary Research Fellow at the Courtauld, and it is a great testament to Shulamith’s teaching that this gift is made in her honour. We talked to Nicolai about the journey that took him to the point of making this extraordinary gift. What inspired your interest in art? My mother has a degree in art history and as we grew up she introduced us to many of the most amazing art museums in Europe. Gradually I became inspired and have collected Scandinavian art myself throughout my career. Was there a specific point in time or reason that you decided to make the leap from collector to academic? Taking time out from my career in asset management to learn more Dr Robin Schuldenfrei with her 2014/15 cohort of MA students SUPPORTING THE COURTAULD THE COURTAULD NEWS about art history is something I had wanted to do for some time. I am not sure I would call myself an academic, but to immerse myself in study was a real pleasure, and has given me a deeper appreciation for art in the wider social context. What was your motivation to study ‘Art and Cultural Politics in Germany 1890 – 1945’? This period in Germany saw some of the most revolutionary movements in art, responding to the volatile politics of the era and creating a visual language to express the trauma of the period. So much of what contemporary art seeks to achieve now has its foundations in that period and I’m privileged to have had the time and expertise of the Courtauld and its staff to support my further study. What do you hope the endowment will achieve? I believe that the Courtauld sets the global standard for the study of art history and conservation – subjects that I firmly believe are essential for the safekeeping of the great international collections for generations to come, enabling others to enjoy our rich visual heritage. I hope that my endowment will ensure the Courtauld continues to develop and sustain its great reputation for research and academic achievement, and train the visual art leaders of the future. What led you to The Courtauld in particular? I first visited the Courtauld to explore the Gallery with my family from Norway and then gradually realised what an amazing place it is. The Courtauld is the preeminent institution for the teaching of art history in Europe, and together with its location at London’s majestic Somerset House, I can’t think of a better place to spend time studying. How has Dr Shulamith Behr influenced and inspired you? Shulamith was a superb tutor and her enthusiasm for her subject and deep knowledge animated the historical backdrop of the course. She also influenced my choice of Rolf Nesch as the topic for my dissertation, and in particular how his cultural identity was impacted by being in exile in Norway. She was very memorable for her generosity of spirit when sharing her expertise. What was the motivation for giving the Courtauld an endowment to a full-time role? Amongst other things, my firm specializes in investing on behalf of university endowments and other foundations and I am acutely aware of the critical importance an endowment plays in the life of an educational institution. An endowment provides the ability to directly support the academic goals and aspirations of many individuals and enriches their lives for years to come. I am delighted that AKO Foundation, a charity that I set up to benefit education and the arts, is able to contribute to the vibrant academic life of the Courtauld. Dr Shulamith Behr, Honorary Research Fellow The news of this gift is highly gratifying and humbling. I recall Nicolai Tangen as an extremely valuable member of the MA group of 2004-5, who was modest and in no way made us aware of his remarkable achievements in the financial world. He was also a committed researcher and his dissertation on the innovative graphic work of Rolf Nesch, in Hamburg and in exile in Norway, brought new evidence to bear on this second-generation Expressionist. I am thrilled that the Courtauld will benefit from such generosity. Therein, Nicolai acknowledges the enshrined values of both teaching and research that the Institute endeavours to uphold. – Dr Shulamith Behr, Honorary Research Fellow For information about how you can make a gift of endowment, please contact: Emma Davidson Director of Development [email protected] + 44 (0)20 3751 0535 43 44 THE COURTAULD NEWS SUPPORTING THE COURTAULD NEW CAMPAIGN ENCOURAGES LEGACY GIVING This November the Courtauld launched its first legacy giving campaign, asking visitors, alumni and members to consider leaving a gift to the Courtauld when next making their will. None of us like to think about our own mortality but the fact remains that over half of UK adults do not have a will and without one it is the state who determines who inherits your property after you die. When you come to write or amend your will, I hope you might think about leaving a legacy to the Courtauld. We sometimes find that people think if they do not have an Old Master to bequeath they cannot leave a legacy to the Courtauld, but this simply isn’t the case. Anyone can leave a legacy and all legacy gifts regardless of size, will have a big impact. a very special place to work and I know what a difference a gift like this can make to staff and students. Your legacy could provide a scholarship, fund a workshop for schoolchildren or support a teaching post; but no matter how it is used, your legacy gift will help us continue to provide the very best education in art history, conservation and the care of our collections. Enclosed with this edition of the News is a leaflet about legacy giving, which I hope will provide you with useful information about the different types of legacy and how your gift can make a difference. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch – any information you give us will be treated in the strictest confidence. Emma Davidson Director of Development When I made my will, I decided to leave a cash legacy to the Courtauld. This is Samuel Courtauld’s legacy to us The foundation of the Courtauld Institute of Art was the brainchild of three visionary collectors: Viscount Lee of Fareham, Sir Robert Witt and Samuel Courtauld. Viscount Lee had a vision of an Institute for the study of the history of art and the training of museum experts. Samuel Courtauld who had already begun collecting Impressionist paintings was immediately keen: ‘What you have told me not only interests me deeply, but opens up for the first time a vision of something which I realised subconsciously I have wanted nearly all my life’, he wrote in a letter to Viscount Lee. When Samuel Courtauld’s wife died in 1931, he offered his house in Portman Square along with his collection of paintings for use by the new Institute. The third member of the group, Sir Robert Witt, contributed his vast collection of reproductions of paintings. On the back of the priceless resources bequeathed by our founders, superb private collections have followed over the years, making the Courtauld’s gallery and libraries an invaluable, world-class resource for those pursuing the study of art history. Our founders’ legacy is a powerful one; the Courtauld Institute of Art is now a leading institute for the study of art history and conservation. Our research, degree programmes and exhibitions are widely regarded as among the very best in the world, and our faculty are leaders in their disciplines. Furthermore, our alumni, now standing over 7,000 strong, include scholars, curators, museum directors, and writers who are helping to shape the way we experience the visual arts worldwide. SUPPORTING THE COURTAULD THE COURTAULD NEWS 45 The Courtauld recently celebrated its 80th anniversary. As we look ahead to the next 80 years, I hope you will consider becoming part of the Courtauld’s story and join Witt, Courtauld and Lee, and the many others whose legacies have made the Courtauld the great success it is today. If you have any questions about legacy giving, or would like to notify us that you have already left us a gift in your will, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Jennifer Seymour Individual Campaigns and Legacies Manager 020 3751 0544 [email protected] Samuel Courtauld was passionate about art, and wanted to share his enthusiasm with the nation 46 THE COURTAULD NEWS SUPPORTING THE COURTAULD Advice for your bequest We always advise that you seek independent legal advice when writing or amending your will. Although it is possible to write a will without a solicitor’s help, this is generally not advisable as there are various legal formalities you need to follow to make sure that your will is valid. Without the help of an expert, there’s a real risk you could make a mistake, which could cause problems for your family and friends after your death. When including a gift to the Courtauld in your will, the key information to include is our full name and address: the Courtauld Institute of Art, Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 0RN. You should also include our exempt charity reference, XR60596. We encourage legacy gifts to be given without restriction, which enables our Board of Governors to carefully consider how to make the best use of your gift to meet the changing priorities at the time. If you wish your legacy to support a particular area of our work, we would strongly recommend you get in touch with us to ensure we are able to honour your wishes. If you have an object you would like to leave to the Courtauld, we ask that you get in touch with us first before committing it to your will, to ensure we are able to accept it. US taxpayers who wish to leave a legacy to the Courtauld can do so by leaving their gift to The American Foundation for The Courtauld Institute of Art (AFCIA), 55 East End Avenue #3D, New York, NY 10028. AFCIA is a 501 (c) (3) charity with tax exempt ID #13-6296745. For further information about directing your gift to a certain area of the Courtauld’s work, please contact Susan Marks, Executive Director, on susan. [email protected] or 001 212-737-5051. Here are some useful links to help you think about your estate planning: www.gov.uk/make-will Provides a good overview of the basics of will writing. www.lawsociety.org.uk The Law Society provides independent advice on topics such as choosing a solicitor and probate as well as making a will. www.hmrc.gov.uk/inheritancetax The HMRC website offers advice on inheritance tax, including what gifts are exempt from inheritance tax and how you can reduce your inheritance tax bill by giving to charity. www.courtauld.ac.uk/legacies Our website’s legacy section provides information on how to leave a gift to the Courtauld including the information your legal advisor will need. SUPPORTING THE COURTAULD THE COURTAULD NEWS 47 IN MEMORY OF SOPHIE TREVELYAN THOMAS In the last edition of the News we reported on our appeal to raise money for a permanently endowed scholarship in memory of Courtauld alumna Sophie Trevelyan Thomas (MA 2007), who died tragically in November 2013. When we first embarked on raising money in memory of Sophie, we were aiming to raise £125,000 to provide one scholarship every year in perpetuity. We are however delighted to report that we have vastly exceeded this goal and have now raised just over £250,000, which will enable us to provide two scholarships every year in Sophie’s name. The scholarships will support MA History of Art students who are specialising in the Medieval or Renaissance periods, thereby reflecting Sophie’s interests. The Courtauld and Sophie’s family are very grateful to the many people who have supported the appeal so generously. A special mention goes to the 20-strong team from Sotheby’s, also known as ‘The Bond Street Bicycle Club’, who cycled from Sotheby’s in London to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam in July, raising a fantastic £45,425 including Gift Aid. We were delighted and relieved to hear they made it in one piece and some of the team are already planning their next challenge! You can still donate to the appeal by donating online at www.courtauld.ac.uk/ sophie or alternatively you can send a cheque made payable to ‘The Courtauld Institute of Art Fund’ to The Sophie Trevelyan Thomas scholarship appeal, Courtauld Institute of Art, Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 0RN. JENNIFER SEYMOUR INDIVIDUAL CAMPAIGNS AND LEGACIES MANAGER Want to run a marathon, swim the channel or do any other challenge of your own to raise money for the appeal? You can raise sponsorship through our Justgiving page at www.justgiving.com/courtauldinstitute. The Bond Street Bicycle Club at the end of the race at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam When we first embarked on raising money in memory of Sophie, we were aiming to raise £125,000 to provide one scholarship every year in perpetuity. We are however delighted to report that we have vastly exceeded this goal and have now raised just over £250,000. 48 THE COURTAULD NEWS SUPPORTING THE COURTAULD SWAROVSKI AND LEXINGTON PARTNERS LEAD SUPPORT FOR SCHIELE As people queue outside the Gallery eager to visit our latest major exhibition Egon Schiele: The Radical Nude, little do they realise the significant philanthropic support required to bring such an exhibition to fruition. We are delighted to have received substantial support for Schiele and would like to particularly thank Lexington Partners and Swarovski, joint lead sponsors of the exhibition. Austrian company Swarovski have been at the forefront of design for more than 100 years, and have a rich heritage of working with cultural institutions to support their artistic programmes. As Nadja Swarovski, member of the Swarovski Executive Board, comments; ‘As an Austrian company, we are proud to sponsor this important exhibition as part of our ongoing programme of cultural support and help reawaken interest in a poignant body of work whose influence still resonates today.’ For Nadja there was also a personal motivation for Swarovski’s decision to support the exhibition. As a student Nadja studied a BA in Art History, Foreign Languages and Latin American studies at the Southern Methodist University Dallas and completed her thesis on Schiele. Since her studies she has continued to have a great interest and appreciation for Schiele’s work, as Nadja states: ‘Egon Schiele was a pivotal figure in the creative and intellectual crucible that was prewar Vienna, changing and challenging perceptions of the role of the human figure within modern art’. For Lexington Partners, in addition to their generous sponsorship, Brent Niklas, Managing Partner of Lexington Partners, has also loaned an iconic Schiele work from his own private collection for the exhibition. Commenting on their sponsorship Marshall Parke, Managing Partner of Lexington’s international business stated: ‘We are delighted to be sponsoring this important new exhibition of one of the 20th century’s most radical and influential artists. The Courtauld Gallery is one of London’s premier art museums, with an outstanding collection of important works. Lexington Partners are proud to be affiliated with such a prestigious and exciting institution, in what is a once in a generation opportunity to see so many of Egon Schiele’s artworks under one roof in the United Kingdom.’ We are tremendously grateful to have the support of both Lexington Partners and Swarovski and would like to take this opportunity to thank both them, and the many other donors who have made the exhibition possible. Top Left: The Development team model Swarovski’s latest Atelier collection at the Schiele Private View Top right: Professor Deborah Swallow and His Excellency, Dr Emil Brix, the Austrian Ambassador Sponsors Benefactor Martin Halusa Supporters AKO Foundation Friends of the Courtauld Marie and Joe Donnelly Florian Härb Jane Kallir (Gallery St Etienne New York) M&M Capital Richard Nagy Ltd., London The Rothschild Foundation Guest viewing the new Schiele exhibition and those donors who remain anonymous Louise Birrell Head of Donor and Alumni Engagement We have some very exciting exhibitions scheduled for 2015 including Goya: The Old Women and Witches Album from 26 February and Peter Lanyon: The Gliding Paintings (title to be confirmed) in October 2015. If you would be interested in finding out more about how you can support either exhibition please contact Emma Davidson, Director of Development on +44 (0)20 3751 0535 or at emma. [email protected] SUPPORTING THE COURTAULD THE COURTAULD NEWS 49 50 THE COURTAULD NEWS SUPPORTING THE COURTAULD A FEAST FOR THE EYES... The bar was raised yet again at the 2014 Annual Director’s Circle Dinner, which celebrated the Courtauld’s exquisite exhibition Court and Craft: A Masterpiece from Northern Iraq. The gallery was transformed to evoke a courtly Persian feast, with brightly coloured ottomans, abundant displays of wild flowers, peacock feathers, oranges, lemons and pomegranates, wall to wall eastern drapes and beautiful Persian rugs. Forty Director’s Circle members joined the revelry and came dressed in garments vivid in colour from China, Persia, India and beyond (in keeping with the dress code of ‘comfortable, colourful pan-Asian elegance!’). The evening was curated to the highest degree of excellence by art and food historian Janine Catalano (MA 2007), Sussan Babaie and Alexandra Gerstein and included curatorial talks on the exhibition, poetry readings, live music by a renowned oud player with a special piece from the 13th century, a traditional hand-washing ceremony and much more. Members have also come to expect extraordinary food at these occasions, and this night was no exception with a lavish family-style feast of mouthwatering Persian delicacies. Thank you to all involved for making it such a memorable evening. We are now excited to be planning the 2015 feast which will celebrate the life and work of Goya in connection with the Courtauld’s highly anticipated spring exhibition Goya: The Old Women and Witches Album. Director’s Circle members of the Samuel Courtauld Society pay £5,000 per year for an unrivalled range of benefits including the annual dinner. For more information or to join the SCS, please contact Kate Knight on 020 3751 0545 Kate KNight Head of individual giving SAMUEL COURTAULD SOCIETY IN FOCUS The Samuel Courtauld Society (SCS) has gone from strength to strength since its inception in 2008 during the Courtauld’s 75th anniversary celebrations. Six years on we now have 160 members across the three levels: Director’s Circle, Patrons’ Circle and Associates. In return for our members generous support of the Courtauld we endeavor to provide an excellent programme which includes access to exceptional art events, and links to an unrivalled art network which spans the globe. The satisfaction of our members is always of utmost importance to us. To this end over the summer months we held three focus groups with SCS members chaired by David Butter, a communications expert and Patrons’ Circle member. Participation rates were excellent with 22% of members taking time over the busy summer months to attend the sessions. The results from the focus groups were extremely encouraging. Feedback about the SCS programme was overwhelmingly positive, with members voicing unanimously that membership at all levels was extremely good value for money. We were also delighted to receive many wonderful suggestions from members to help finesse and improve our communications, events and benefits. Where possible we will be implementing many of these ideas to make some positive changes to the programme over the coming months so watch this space! We would like to thank all our SCS members, particularly those who participated in the focus groups, who together help us create a dynamic and thriving community at the heart of the Courtauld’s work. If you are a member and have a comment about the Samuel Courtauld Society, or you are interested in hearing more about the programme, please call Kate Knight on 020 3751 0545 or visit courtauld.ac.uk/SCS Kate KNight Head of individual giving SUPPORTING THE COURTAULD THE COURTAULD NEWS 2013/14 ANNUAL FUND APPEAL ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL TO DATE We would like to express our grateful thanks to all donors who helped make the 2013/14 Annual Fund appeal one of the most successful ever! We raised a fantastic £107,942.55 from 503 generous supporters, which included £12,227.25 of tax reclaimed from Gift Aid. The Annual Fund is a vital part of our philanthropic support, because the majority of the funds raised can be spent where the need is greatest. This year unrestricted donations amounted to £91,467 of the total funds raised and this was allocated to support our digital media team. In our fast paced digital world, the Courtauld website is very often the first point of contact for those who wish to study or visit the Courtauld and enables us to connect and engage with new audiences globally. Donations from the 2013/14 appeal will support the maintenance of our current digital assets, including our Virtual Learning Environment for Courtauld students, and the continued development of the Art and Architecture database which is available for anyone to browse online and includes the complete collection of over 7,000 digitised drawings, our collection of paintings and a selection of prints, as well as photographic material from the Conway Library. The Art and Architecture database is an excellent resource which allows global access to our world-class collections and can be found at www.artandarchitecture.org.uk. Annual Fund scholarship In 2013/14, Austeja Mackelaite received support from donations directed to ‘Annual Fund – scholarships and travel grants’. Austeja completed her BA History of Art at the Courtauld, graduating in 2010, and has just completed the first year of her PhD. Austeja remarked: ‘I would like to thank Annual Fund donors for supporting my specific research, the Courtauld Institute of Art, and the wonderful discipline of art history more generally.’ Austeja’s PhD investigates the importance of ancient sculpture to Netherlandish artists who travelled to Rome during the 16th century, with the explicit goal of studying classical art, and used drawing as a way of recording their daily encounters. Austeja’s research analyses these surviving sketches as instances of the northern artists’ evolving attitudes towards antiquity, and situates them within the broader historical context of the rediscovery of ancient art both north and south of the Alps. During her first year, Austeja has also worked in the Courtauld’s Prints and Drawings Room and has helped to organise the sixth Early Modern symposium,titled The Intelligent Hand, 1500–1800. JENNIFER SEYMOUR INDIVIDUAL CAMPAIGNS AND LEGACIES MANAGER Support the 2014/15 Annual Fund appeal Fundraising for the 2014/15 Annual Fund has already begun! As you can see, donations to the Annual Fund, no matter what size, really do add up and make a big difference. If you would like to donate you can: • Visit courtauld.ac.uk/annualfund • Call Jennifer Seymour on 020 3751 0544 • Send a cheque, made payable to The Courtauld Institute of Art Fund to: The Courtauld Annual Fund, Development Office, The Courtauld Institute of Art, Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 0RN PhD student and Annual Fund scholar Austeja Mackelaiteė 51 52 THE COURTAULD NEWS SUPPORTING THE COURTAULD JOTTINGS ON THE SAMUEL COURTAULD SOCIETY’S FLORENCE VISIT In May Samuel Courtauld Society Director’s and Patrons’ Circle members travelled to Florence for their annual art and architecture trip programmed and led by Courtauld academics Dr Guido Rebecchini and Dr Scott Nethersole. SCS members Mike and Caroline Howes reminisce about their first trip as SCS members: Our introduction to Florence’s artistic life came as an historical walk led by principal tour lecturer, Dr Scott Nethersole, Lecturer in Italian Renaissance Art, who peppered his talk with gruesome anecdotes of public life in the age of the Medicis. In the first of several very privileged insights, the day concluded with a private evening visit to the Bargello and its magnificent sculptures. The theme of day two was the art and architecture associated with the city’s ceremonial life which included the Duomo’s Porta della Mandorla, Fra Angelico’s fresco cycle at San Marco, and Andrea del Castagno’s Last Supper at Sant’Apollonia. An evening coup de théâtre by our tour manager James McDonaugh (PGDip 2002, MA 2003), Director of Art Tours, was a visit to the family-owned Palazzo Gondi (Giuliano da Sangallo, 1490) where we dined as guests of the marchese and marchesa. The city’s mendicant churches were the focus of day three; Santa Maria Novella’s treasury of 15th-century fresco painting, Brunelleschi’s Santo Spirito and its altarpieces, and Masaccio’s frescos in the Brancacci Chapel at Santa Maria del Carmine, to name but a few, followed by an exclusive out-of-hours tour of selected masterpieces in the Uffizi Gallery. The morning of day four took us to the Palazzo Strozzi where Dr Guido Rebecchini, Lecturer in 16th-Century Southern European Art, led us through the temporary exhibition Pontormo and Rosso: Diverging Paths of Mannerism, while our final day found us taking coffee in the gardens of the Villa Medici, Lorenzo the Magnificent’s retreat overlooking the city, and a visit to the now privately owned villa itself. In another most privileged visit we toured Bernard Berenson’s Villa I Tatti and lunched in the gardens with the fellows. Our tour concluded in glorious sunshine with a visit to San Miniato al Monte, and an opportunity to hear sung vespers. All in all, an enthralling five days – we are already relishing the prospect of Berlin in 2015! MIKE & CAROLINE HOWES SCS DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE MEMBERS For more information about 2015 trips or how to join the Samuel Courtauld Society, please visit www.courtauld. ac.uk/scs or call Kate Knight on +44 (0)20 3751 0545 Dr Scott Nethersole leading SCS members on an historical walk of Florence SUPPORTING THE COURTAULD THE COURTAULD NEWS From left to right SCS members Philip Hudson, Jenny Rose, Mike and Caroline Howes, Sir Angus Sterling and Cathy Corbett Courtauld tour guides Dr Scott Nethersole and Dr Guido Rebecchini SCS members Betsy Blackwell and John Watson 53 54 THE COURTAULD NEWS DONORS THANK YOU The Courtauld receives a third of its income from philanthropic sources. We wish to thank all donors for their generous support and ongoing commitment to the teaching and study of art history and conservation including all donors listed below and those who wish to remain anonymous. MAJOR BENEFACTORS The Annenberg Foundation International Music and Art Foundation Deborah Loeb Brice Foundation* The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Nicholas and Jane Ferguson The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Friends of the Courtauld Institute Oak Foundation J. Paul Getty Trust Madeleine and Timothy Plaut* Dr Martin Halusa The Lisbet Rausing Charitable Fund Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation Lord Rothschild OM, GBE, FBA The Edmond J. Safra Philanthropic Foundation The Schroder Foundation Garfield Weston Foundation Mrs Charles Wrightsman* MAJOR DONORS Anonymous in memory of Melvin R. Seiden The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation The Pidem Fund The A.G. Leventis Foundation The Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund* Sir Paul and Lady Ruddock The Headley Trust Terra Foundation for American Art Steven and Elena Heinz Thomson Works of Art Ltd The Jungels-Winkler Charitable Foundation Manuela and Iwan Wirth AkzoNobel Dr Michael and Anna Brynberg Charitable Trust The Gilbert & Ildiko Butler Foundation Samuel Courtauld Trust Daniel Katz Ltd The Monument Trust DONORS Tatiana Korsakova and Andrey Borodin (Chairman’s Circle) The Garcia Family Foundation (U.K.) Limited (Chairman’s Circle) The Alan Howard Foundation (Chairman’s Circle) Scott and Suling Mead (Chairman’s Circle) Sir Paul and Lady Ruddock (Chairman’s Circle) Farah and Hassan Alaghband Lexington Partners The Bank of America Art Conservation Project Marlborough Fine Art (London) Ltd. Olivier and Desiree Berggruen* BNY Mellon The Marie-Louise von Motesiczky CharitableTrust Veronica M Bulgari* Oryx Petroleum The Clothworkers’ Foundation The Doris Pacey Charitable Foundation The Dorset Foundation The Stanley Picker Trust The Foyle Foundation The Pilgrim Trust Sir Nicholas and Lady Goodison Mr and Mrs James Stunt The Alan Howard Foundation Swarovski James Hughes-Hallett Nicolai and Katja Tangen ING Commercial Banking Vermeer Associates Limited The Jackson Foundation V-A-C Foundation Margaret L Koster and Joseph L Koerner in honor of Caroline Villers Sir Siegmund Warburg’s Voluntary Settlement Thomas H. Lee and Ann Tenenbaum* DCMS/Wolfson Foundation Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund Mr and Mrs Hugues Lepic* Leon Levy Foundation NAGUAR Conservation Programme* Robert McCarthy DONORS THE COURTAULD NEWS 55 SUPPORTERS Abellio Mr Francis Finlay* M&M Capital AEA Investors (UK) LLP Charles Fisher The Henry Moore Foundation AKO Foundation Mr Sam Fogg The John R Murray Charitable Trust Ambrose & Ann Applebe Trust The Gabo Trust NADFAS Anna Plowden Trust GardaWorld NautaDutilh Apax Foundation The Robert Gavron Charitable Trust Mr John Nicoll The Art Fund Thomas Gibson Fine Art Ltd Old Boys Foundation The Ashley Family Foundation Richard Green (Fine Paintings) P F Charitable Trust Asian Cultural Council* Dr. Eileen Guggenheim* Professor David Park Richard and Marelyn Aylmer Lucía V. Halpern and John Davies Sir Francis Pemberton Charitable Trust The Band Trust Harley Research Scholarship Russell C. and Jill O. Platt Bonnie and R. Derek Bandeen The Helen Hamlyn Trust Robert Prentice Bective Leslie Marsh Limited Michael and Morven Heller The Radcliffe Trust Hugh and Jane Bedford Hazlitt Holland-Hibbert The Rayne Foundation Tavolozza – Katrin Bellinger Andrew Hochhauser QC The Rose Foundation Linda Kristin Bennett Iran Heritage Foundation The Rothschild Foundation Barbara Bertozzi Castelli* Bernard Jacobson Gallery Edward Said Scholarship Benjamin Proust Fine Art Ltd Klein Solicitors Limited The Finnis Scott Foundation John Treacy Beyer* The Marina Kleinwort Trust Sky Arts Alison Lohrfink Blood Samuel H. Kress Foundation Sir Angus Stirling Sayed Z Bukhari Dr and Mrs Spiro Latsis Trust for Mutual Understanding* Christie’s Ronald S. Lauder* V&A Purchase Grant Fund Mr Colin Clark The Lloyd Family Trusts Mr Xavier Villers Elizabeth Clarke in memory of William O Clarke Lowell Libson Ltd Mrs Elke von Brentano The John S Cohen Foundation Celine and John Lowrey George and Patricia White* Daniella Luxembourg, London Malcolm Wiener Mayor Gallery Michael and Jane Wilson* The Michael Marks Charitable Trust The Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation The Worshipful Company of Mercers Sandra Cohen Crane Kalman Gallery Ltd Dr Willem Dreesmann Mrs Jessica Devoy Marie amd Joe Donnelly The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust The John Ellerman Foundation Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, London Clare Maurice Eugenia McGrath and Thomas Korossy * Christopher McLaren Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art Lucy Mitchell Innes and David Nash* *Gifts made to the American Foundation of the Courtauld Institute of Art 56 THE COURTAULD NEWS DONORS SAMUEL COURTAULD SOCIETY DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE Anonymous Andrew and Maya Adcock Farah Asemi and Hassan Alaghband Eva Bezelianskaia Elke and Michael von Brentano David G Broadhurst Nick Hoffman James Hughes-Hallett Eugenia and Thomas Korossy Mr and Mrs Marks The Honourable Christopher McLaren John A. McLaren / AkzoNobel Richard Nagy Derek and Inks Raphael Paul and Jill Ruddock Sotheby’s Nicolai and Katja Tangen John Watson and Betsy Blackwell Niklas and Catherine Zennström Marina Kellen French David Gibbons Richard Green (Fine Paintings) Lucía V. Halpern and John Davies Paula and Schuyler Henderson Lady Heseltine Joanna Hewitt Jennifer Hicks Andrew Hochhauser QC Mike and Caroline Howes David and Una Hudd Philip Hudson Monica Ishola Nicholas Jones Kasper James and Clare Kirkman Norman A. Kurland and Deborah A. David Helen Lee and David Warren Lefevre Fine Art Stuart Lochhead and Sophie Richard Anthony Loehnis CMG Mark and Liza Loveday Dr Chris Mallinson Janet Martin Mr Jay Massey Clare Maurice James McDonaugh Norma and Selwyn Midgen John and Jenny Murray Mr Morton Neal CBE and Mrs Neal Elizabeth Nicholson John Nicoll and Laurence Colchester Mr Michael Palin Simon and Midge Palley Lord and Lady Phillimore Bridget Pinchbeck Herschel Post Marie-Christine Poulain and Read Gomm Leslie Powell Tineke Pugh Jacqueline Ranawake Charles Rose Lady Jennifer Rose Sarah and Patrick Ryan Mrs Janice Sacher Dame Theresa Sackler Richard and Susan Shoylekov Michael Smith, Barts Charity William Slee and Dr Heidi Bürklin-Slee Marjorie Stimmel Sir Angus Stirling Carlo Maria Suriano Henry Tinsley Johnny Van Haeften Erik and Kimie Vynckier The Rt. Hon. Nicholas & Lavinia Wallop Mr Richard West George and Patricia White Richard Wintour Lynne Woolfson Anita and Poju Zabludowicz Nova Dobb Mr Andrew P Duffy Ben Elwes Fine Art David and Diane Frank Christopher J Gridley Mrs Kathryn Gyngell Edward Harley Mary G Herms Cordula von Keller Mr Timothy D Llewellyn Raymond and Penelope Locke Sir Frank Lowe Sophie Mallinckrodt Virginia Morck Philip Mould Ltd Jim Moyes Richard Oldfield Desmond Page Serena Prest Geraldine Ramphal The Lady Ridley of Liddesdale Eira Rojas Mr Adrian Sassoon Anna Somers Cocks Rex De Lisle Stanbridge Mr Robert Stoppenbach Professor Deborah Swallow Dr John Sweetman Yvonne Tan Bunzl Diana and John Uff The Ulrich Family The Weiss Gallery Susan and Charles Whiddington Hugh Wilson I C Carr Christie’s Mark and Cathy Corbett Nicholas and Jane Ferguson Mr Sam Fogg Nicholas and Judith Goodison Dr Martin Halusa PATRONS’ CIRCLE Anonymous Agnew’s Giancarla and Michael Alen-Buckley Felix Appelbe Mr Sandy Arbuthnot Jean-Luc Baroni Ltd Sara Joline Bedford John G. Bernasconi Douglas Blausten Julia Boadle The Lord Browne of Madingley James and Jennifer Butler David and Jane Butter John Byford Julian and Jenny Cazalet Mary Ellen Cetra Mr Colin Clark Robert Compton Jones Samantha Darell Amanda Deitsch and James Hochman Roger and Rebecca Emery Eykyn Maclean Ltd ASSOCIATES Anonymous Georgina Adam Mrs Kate Agius Lord Jeffrey Archer Persephone Books Mrs James Beery Sarah Boardman Henry and Maria Cobbe Mr Oliver Colman Prisca and Andrew Cox Camilla Davidson Simon C. Dickinson Ltd. ANNUAL FUND THE COURTAULD NEWS THE COURTAULD ANNUAL FUND 2014 The Courtauld sincerely thanks the 503 alumni and supporters -both listed below and those who wish to remain anonymous - who gave to the Annual Fund. The 2014 campaign (which closed on 31 July 2014) raised a tremendous £107,943 for a range of Courtauld projects. Tania Adams Andrew and Maya Adcock Dr Tanya Alfille Bridget Allen Peter C Allinson Marjorie Allthorpe-Guyton Jessica Alvarez William Ambler Martin Andrew Reverend Viv Armstrong-MacDonnell Professor Caroline Arscott Norton Asbury Farah Asemi & Hassan Alaghband Linda Ashworth Jonathan Auld Helen Auty Richard and Mara Aylmer Dr Sussan Babaie Dr Jane Bailey Ariane Bankes Emma Barker Nicolas and Joanna Barker Dr Richard Barling Wendy Baron Brenda Baxter Sarah Baxter Mary Rose Beaumont Dr Shulamith Behr Keith Benham Deborah Bennett Charlotte Benton Paul Berry Rita Biro Louise Birrell Jacky Bishop Tye Blackshaw Prudence Bliss Tessa Boteler Professor Sir Alan Bowness Geoffrey Bracken Dr Simon Bradley Brady Stained Glass Elizabeth Breyer Lady Bridgeman Robin Broadhurst CVO CBE FRICS Grace Brockington Nicholas Bubb Nick and April Bueno de Mesquita Sally Bulgin Polly Buston Lady (Adam) Butler David and Jane Butter Professor Stephen Caffey Tom Caley Mary Cameron Dr Caroline Campbell and Dr John Goodall Harriet Campbell Isabel C Carr Sophie Carr Elizabeth Cashman Anne Castling Janine Catalano Sharon Cather Richard S Chafee John Chalker Jeannie Chapel Carol Chawdhary Wendy Chetwin Philip Cheung Sheila Christie Diana and Gerald Cinamon Colin Clark Matthew H Clough David Cobb Sir Michael Codron Alfred and Ronald Cohen The John S Cohen Foundation Dr Nicola Coldstream William S. Coleman Dr Minta Collins David Collison Dr Susan Compton Conatus Capital Management LP Ali Conway Susan Cook Dr Rosalys Coope Dr Riann Coulter Tessa Cowie Professor Elizabeth Cowling Georgina Craufurd Stephen Croad MBE Family Croker Satsuki Crome Professor Geoffrey Crossick Mary Cunningham Professor James Cuno Lizzie Darbyshire Dr Percy Darukhanawala Emma Davidson Jessica Davidson Mary Frances Davidson Tim Davies Eleanor Davison Andrew Derrick Hester Diamond Karen-Marie Dinesen Dr Ursula Ditchburn-Bosch Sally Dixon-Smith Miles Dodd Barry Dodge Richard and Olga Van den Dool-Brenninkmeijer Dr Sally Dormer and Mr Andy Moody Tara Draper-Stumm, FSA Eric Drewery Pamela Drinnan Theo Druyven Cecilia Dugdale James Dunnett Dunton Green Primary School Margaret Dunwoody Hausberg Dr Anthony Dyson Rebecca Easby Hetty Einzig Caroline Elam John Elderfield Dr Julia Ellis Catherine Errington James Ewing Kaywin Feldman Professor Eric Fernie Anna Fletcher Sibylla Jane Flower Susan Foister Francis Ford Anna Forty Elizabeth Freeman Garry Freeman Emily T. Frick Mrs Diana de Froment Hannah S. Fullgraf Stephen D. Gallagher Alicia Garcia Nicola Gatt Nicky Gavron Malcolm Gee Caroline George John Gilbert John Glaves-Smith Linda Goddard Joel M Goldfrank Sophie Goldspink Christine A Gordon Hugh Gorton Cornelia Grassi Maggie Gray Susan Green Margaret Greeves Martyn Gregory Gallery Nigel Grey-Turner Julie Grisman 57 58 THE COURTAULD NEWS ANNUAL FUND Geneva J. Griswold Pierre-Yves Guillemet Penelope Gurland Werner Guttmann Johnny Van Haeften Dr Douglas Hall Elizabeth Hall Nicholas Hall Lucía V. Halpern and John Davies John Hann Sabrina Harcourt-Smith Dr John Hare Fiona Harkin Monica Harper Céline Harris Nancy Harrison and Robert Altamura Dr Laurie Harwood Peter Hawkes Georgiana L Head Mrs Robert C. Heathcote Geraldine van Heemstra Dr Kathryn Heleniak Denny Hemming Sir Launcelot Henderson Lisa Henderson (nee Heale) Dr Cecily Hennessy Merle Heppell Diana E. Herzog Lady Heseltine Jean Higginson Miss A Hilder Constance Hill Paul Hills Henrietta Hine Andrew Hochhauser QC Clive Hodson Dr Barry Hoffbrand Edward L. Hoffman Nicole Holland Mr and Mrs Geoffrey Holt Graeme Hood Professor Ken Howard OBE Dr Norman Howard Philip Hudson James Hughes-Hallett Ruth Hulton Mary Hustings Lucy Hutchins Rose Isepp Miss Olimpia Isidori Philip Jacobson Hedwig James William F. Jeffett II Dr Helen Jessup Catrin Jones Nicholas and Maria Jones Wendy Jordan D.W. Joustra Professor Walter Kaiser Maria Kamper Bockelmann Dr Martin Kauffmann Diana Kay Peter Kennedy Scott Ian G. Kennedy Oonagh Kennedy Amanda Kern Lambert Robert Keys Dr Jerzy J Kierkuc-Bielinski David Kitson Caroline Knight Kate Knight Julia Korner Eugenia and Thomas Korossy Latifa Kosta Gillian Laidlaw Alastair Laing Nicholas Lambert Butler and Lois Lampson David Lane Graham Lane Hannah Leathers Patrick Legant Dr Ayla Lepine Andrea Lewis Myriam Libert - “Exchange” - Foundling museum Lisa Lindstrom Professor William Lipke Doina Little Marco Livingstone Oliver Lloyd Stuart Lochhead and Sophie Richard Barry Lock Morgan C. Long Mary Longford Mark and Liza Loveday Daniella Luxembourg, London Frances Lynn Dr and Mrs Graham Lyons Michael Macaulay Dr Alison Maguire Anthony Mainwaring Dr Chris Mallinson Sharon Manitta Charles and Sue Marriott David and Clare Marris Richard and Janet Martin Peter Martindale Jay Massey The Matthiesen Foundation Cameron Maynard James McDonaugh Nancy McElroy Folger Gillian and Ian McIntosh The Honourable Christopher McLaren Matthew McLendon Miss P. McPeake Dr Melissa McQuillan Helen Meakins Patricia Menday Sarah Meschutt Vincent Meyer Angelith Meyers Natalie Miles Lesley E Miller Polly Milne Judith M Mitchell Paul Mitchell Philip Mone Dr Sarah Monks Jennifer Moore Martin Morgan Anna Moszynska Barbara A. Murek Catherine Murray Mr Morton Neal CBE and Mrs Neal Valerie Neild Susan Nettle John Newman Dr Tom Nickson Professor Mignon Nixon Christine Oddy Professor Michael Oliver Katharine Claire Pace Alexandra Palmer Dr Alexandra Parigoris Ingrid I Parry Joyce Parsons JP Michael Parsons David Pavey Dr J Payan Laura Asherman Payne Elizabeth A Pergam Lord and Lady Phillimore David Phillips Dr Elizabeth Philpot Sue Phipps Ilaria Piccirilli Iain Picton Claude Piening Christopher Platts Alex Pook ANNUAL FUND THE COURTAULD NEWS Dr Cecilia Powell Marie Ann Prelog Darryl de Prez Dr Lara Pucci Arlene Rabin Pia Rainey Cynthia E. Rallis Georgina Ralston Gillian Rathouse Chris and Joan Rea Dr Guido Rebecchini Donovan Rees Helena Rees-Mogg Anna Remann Professor Aileen Ribeiro Dallas Richards Eleanor Robbins Dr D Keith Robinson Gillian Robson Pauline Rohatgi Mr R. Root Hazel Rose JP Lady Jennifer Rose Cora Rosevear Peter Roth Brinda Roy Mary Rozell Penelope Ruddock Neil and Angelica Rudenstine Tony Rushton In memory of Stella Rutherford Samuel L Sadow Maria Saffiotti Dale Magda Salvesen Clive Saville Dr Peter Schabacker Professor Jack Schuman Chloe Scott Mitchel Seal Derek Searle Elizabeth Sebök Christopher E. Sedgwick Sir Nicholas Serota Jenny Seymour Simon Shaw Desmond Shawe-Taylor Dr John Sheldrake Robin Shepherd Dr Rupert Shepherd Dale Sheppard-Floyd Michael Sherry Hongmiao Shi Hadi and Ban Shubber Cheryl Silver Mr and Mrs Silvey Dr Amanda Simpson Nathan Sivasambu Holly Skeet Ian Skidmore Suzanne Slesin Dr Susan Sloman Chris Smart Alison Smith Mary Peskett Smith Nickola Smith Dr Patricia Smith Rita Smith Anna Somers Cocks Richard and Eryl Spencer Dr Paul Spencer-Longhurst Allen P Staley Timothy Standring Clare Stansfield Robin Start Dr Christine Stevenson Jenny Stewart Dr Peter Stewart Professor Damie Stillman Marjorie Stimmel Sir Angus Stirling Mandy Stockley Isobel Stokes Laura Z. Stone Jo Storey Allana Strong John Summers Professor Ann Sutherland Harris Professor Deborah Swallow Catherine Swarbrick Dr John Sweetman Richard Swift Dr Philip A Sykas Susan Sykes The Lady Juliet Tadgell Fund Angela Taunt Ruth Taylor Andrew Templeton Betsy Thomas Helen Thomson Richard Thomson Colin Thorn Mr and Mrs Jeremy Thorp Robert Thorpe Professor Lisa Tickner and Sandy Nairne Toby Treves Catherine Tribe Peter Trippi Patrick Troughton Dr Marjorie Trusted Alison Turnbull Pamela Turner Sara E Turner Anthony Tyrrell Diana and John Uff Mrs B. Vasconcellos Patrice and Shippen Vaudremer Jonathan Vernon Joanna Walker Frederick C. Walski, Jr. Dr Roger Ward Patrick Watson Dr Trudy A Watt Mary Wells Emma Whitaker Sir Samuel Whitbread KCVO Brian Whitby Fiona M Whyte Joan Wilcox Mary Anne Wilkins Dr Alan Wilkinson Rowena Willard-Wright Maureen Williams Petra Williams-Lescht Arnold Wilson Helen Wilson Hugh Wilson John Wilson Muriel Wilson Juliet Wilson-Bareau James Winterbotham Olivia Winterton Rhian Wong Dian Woodner Robert Woodward Caroline Wright Sir Stephen Wright Mary Yule Zmira F. Zilkha 59 Courtauld Institute of Art Somerset House, Strand London WC2R 0RN www.courtauld.ac.uk