Courtauld Gallery, Art museum in Somerset House, Westminster, England
Description
The Courtauld Gallery sits inside Somerset House and displays paintings, drawings and sculptures from several centuries of European art. The rooms spread across multiple floors and include halls devoted to works from the Renaissance through to Impressionism and Post-Impressionism.
History
Samuel Courtauld, an industrialist and art collector, founded the institute in 1932 alongside two colleagues to advance art history as an academic discipline. The gallery moved into Somerset House in 1990 after several relocations, where it has since presented its permanent collection.
Culture
The collection belongs to the Courtauld Institute of Art and serves both as a public gallery and as a training ground for future art historians. Visitors see paintings that are actively used for teaching and research, giving the rooms a particular scholarly atmosphere.
Practical
The museum opens daily from ten in the morning, with visits in early morning or late afternoon often proving quieter. The rooms are distributed across several floors, so comfortable footwear is recommended for walking through the collection.
Did you know?
The collection also includes a substantial group of medieval and Renaissance enamels displayed in a separate area. These objects complement the better-known paintings and offer insights into earlier craft traditions.
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