Courtauld Institute of Art
Courtauld Institute of Art – upcoming events
- Michelangelo's "Dream of Human Life" is one of the Courtauld Gallery's greatest art treasures. It was painted at the height of the artist's career during the Italian Renaissance, and exemplifies his unrivalled skill and extraordinary powers of invention.
- This landmark exhibition will bring together Cézanne's famous series of paintings of peasants playing cards, which has long been considered among his most important works. These remarkable paintings will be shown alongside some rarely seen preparatory oil sketches and drawings.
Michelangelo’s “Dream of Human Life”18th Feb – 16th May 2010
Michelangelo’s “Dream of Human Life” is one of the Courtauld Gallery’s greatest art treasures. It was painted at the height of the artist’s career during the Italian Renaissance, and exemplifies his unrivalled skill and extraordinary powers of invention.
Paul Cézanne’s “Card Players”21st Oct 2010 – 1st Jan 2011
This landmark exhibition will bring together Cézanne’s famous series of paintings of peasants playing cards, which has long been considered among his most important works. These remarkable paintings will be shown alongside some rarely seen preparatory oil sketches and drawings.
The Courtauld Institute of Art Gallery was founded by Samuel Courtauld in 1931, as an adjunct to the University of London.
The idea was to provide the university with a collection equivalent to the famous museums of Oxford and Cambridge – the Ashmolean and Fitzwilliam.
Courtauld started the ball rolling by bequeathing his entire art collection to it upon his death, as did several other notaries – Robert Witt, William Spooner and Viscount Lee of Fareham.
Impressionist, and post-impressionist art
The Courtauld soon gained a notable reputation, and now houses one of Europe’s finest collections of impressionist and post-impressionist paintings with works by Cézanne, Seurat, Gauguin and Monet.
The stand-out pieces are Van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with a Bandaged Ear, Monet’s Autumn at Argenteuil, Manet’s Bar at the Folies-Bergère and Botticelli’s Trinity with John the Baptist and Mary Magdalene.
The gallery’s premises were augmented in 1991 when it moved from Portman Square to the refined surroundings of Somerset House.
Facts and information
- Address:
- Courtauld Institute of Art, Somerset House, The Strand,
London WC2R 0RN
England - Telephone:
- Work +44 (0) 207 872 0220
- Bus route:
- 1 4 6 9 11 13 15 23 26 59 68 76 87 91 139 168 172 176 177 189 253 341 521 RV1 X68
- Train station:
- Embankment BK CR DS NR, Temple CR DS
- Opening times:
- 10–6
- Cost:
- Adults £5.00; Children free (under-18)
Courtauld Institute of ArtFamous paintings at the Courtauld Institute of Art
‘Bar at the Folies-Bergere’, by Manet