Enfilade

From the press release earlier this fall (6 August 2024) . . .

The Manton Foundation has donated $12 million to The Courtauld to create the Manton Centre for British Art. The Centre, named after British art collectors and philanthropists, Sir Edwin Manton and Florence, Lady Manton, will help secure The Courtauld’s ambition of becoming a world leader in the field of British art and marks the continued commitment of the Manton family to arts education.

The Manton Centre for British Art will serve as an intellectual hub for art historians, curators, critics, artists, and students nationally and internationally, providing a platform for sharing world-leading research and for teaching the next generation of British art specialists. Located initially at The Courtauld’s current campus at Vernon Square, the Manton Centre will later be housed in the purpose-designed premises at Somerset House, providing the physical and intellectual home for The Courtauld’s research and teaching on British art. The Courtauld’s specialists in British art will become members of the Centre and help shape its activities and development. The Centre will operate as the base for students taking modules in British art as part of their MA degree and also provide a home for The Courtauld’s PhD students researching British art.

Professor Mark Hallett, Märit Rausing Director, said: “This is a thrilling moment for The Courtauld. Our new Manton Centre will place British art in a global context, and aim to deliver truly world-class teaching and research in this rich, endlessly fascinating field of study. The Centre will support students through a generously endowed programme of scholarships, and offer a dynamic programme of activities and events across the year. We are hugely grateful to the Manton Foundation for their generous gift, which will enable us to support the very best new thinking and teaching on British art for generations to come.”

Julia Krapf and Sandy Niles, Trustees of The Manton Foundation, said: “After a visit to The Courtauld and several discussions with its leadership and faculty, we came away impressed by the dedicated academic training offered to students interested in British art, including the period of most interest to our grandparents. We are excited and motivated by the opportunity to help The Courtauld strengthen and formalize its research capacity in that area.”

The Centre will present an ambitious and dynamic programme of events including:
• An annual lecture in memory of Sir Edwin and Lady Manton
• An annual international conference devoted to a major topic in the field
• Regular workshops devoted to specific areas of British art
• An annual programme of seminars and lectures enabling scholars, curators, critics, and artists to share their thinking and research
• An annual ‘scholar in residence’ programme, designed to host a leading figure in the field of British art

The Manton Centre for British Art will also pursue collaborations with other scholarly and artistic institutions both in the UK and around the world. In pursing these collaborations and partnerships, the Centre will engage with all areas and periods of British art, and with a wide range of partners and interlocutors.