The Courtauld Gallery
London Learn more about what's on at Courtauld Gallery and the artists shaping its programme.The Courtauld Gallery is a major art museum housed in the historic North Wing of Somerset House on the Strand in central London, England. It is home to one of the world’s great art collections, ranging from the medieval period to the present day, and is particularly renowned for its outstanding group of Impressionist and Post‑Impressionist paintings. The Gallery plays a dual role as the public face of The Courtauld Institute of Art—an internationally recognised centre for the teaching and research of art history—and as a landmark cultural destination in London.
Background
Founded in the early 1930s through the philanthropy of Samuel Courtauld, Lord Lee of Fareham and Sir Robert Witt, The Courtauld’s collection was largely assembled from their donations and bequests, and now includes around 530 paintings and more than 26,000 drawings and prints. The Gallery is especially celebrated for masterpieces such as Vincent van Gogh’s Self‑Portrait with Bandaged Ear (1889) and Édouard Manet’s A Bar at the Folies‑Bergère (1882), which sit at the heart of its Impressionist and Post‑Impressionist holdings. Installed at Somerset House since 1989, The Courtauld reopened in 2021 after a major Courtauld Connects redevelopment that transformed its galleries and visitor facilities while preserving the character of the Grade I‑listed building.
Art and Exhibitions at The Courtauld Gallery
The Courtauld Gallery presents a collection that spans the medieval period to the present, with strengths in Italian Renaissance painting, Northern European art, French Impressionism and Post‑Impressionism, as well as significant holdings of drawings, prints, sculpture and decorative arts. Collection displays are organised across three levels of Somerset House, culminating in the LVMH Great Room—London’s oldest purpose‑built exhibition space—where major Impressionist and Post‑Impressionist works by Manet, Van Gogh, Cézanne, Gauguin, Degas and Monet are shown. Works on paper are regularly rotated in dedicated galleries to protect light‑sensitive material while giving visitors access to highlights from a collection of over 26,000 drawings and prints.
Alongside the permanent collection, The Courtauld Gallery runs a dynamic programme of temporary exhibitions, including focused monographic shows, thematic surveys and displays that place historic works in dialogue with contemporary practice. Recent and forthcoming exhibitions at The Courtauld Gallery have explored subjects such as modern painting, photography and the graphic arts, as well as solo presentations by influential contemporary artists. Visit The Courtauld’s website for current exhibition information.
The Courtauld Gallery FAQs
What is The Courtauld Gallery known for?
The Courtauld Gallery is known for housing one of the world’s great art collections, especially its remarkable group of French Impressionist and Post‑Impressionist paintings. The Courtauld Gallery is also recognised for its setting in the historic Somerset House, its role as the public gallery of The Courtauld Institute of Art, and its influential scholarship and conservation work.
What kind of art can I see at The Courtauld Gallery?
The Courtauld Gallery presents art from the medieval period to the present day, including paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture and decorative arts. The Courtauld Gallery is particularly noted for works by Manet, Van Gogh, Cézanne, Gauguin, Degas and Monet, alongside important Italian Renaissance and Northern European paintings and an outstanding collection of works on paper.
Where is The Courtauld Gallery located?
The Courtauld Gallery is located in the North Wing of Somerset House on the Strand, in central London, United Kingdom. The Courtauld Gallery sits within easy walking distance of Covent Garden, Trafalgar Square and the Thames Embankment, with good transport links via nearby Underground and bus routes.
What is the relationship between The Courtauld Gallery and The Courtauld Institute of Art?
The Courtauld Gallery forms part of The Courtauld Institute of Art, an independent college of the University of London dedicated to the study and conservation of art. The Courtauld Gallery supports this mission by caring for and displaying the collection held in trust by the Samuel Courtauld Trust, providing students, researchers and the public with direct access to original works of art.
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