Visit to the Courtauld Institute of Art, London

Meeting with Professor Deborah Swallow and Head of Research, Alixe Bovey at the Courtauld to discuss a possible cooperation. Jan Oddvar Skisland and Merete Elnan from the Faculty of fine Arts at UiA, and Else-Brit Kroneberg, Sørlandets Kunstmuseum were also present.

The purpose of the meeting was to look into possibilities for different exchange programmes. The Courtauld offers a range of degree programmes – a Bachelor and Master in the History of Art; a Postgraduate Diploma in the Conservation of Easel Paintings; a Master in Wall Painting Conservation; a Master in Buddhist Art: History and Conservation; a Master in Curating; and a Ph.D research degrees in all these subjects.

The Courtauld Institute of Art is the world’s leading centre for the study of the history and conservation of art and architecture. Through its unique integration of activities,facilities and resources, The Courtauld provides an exceptional environment for research, learning and professional development. The Courtauld is based in beautiful surroundings at Somerset House in London, and houses one of Britain’s best-loved art collections.

The Courtauld Institue of Art houses one of Britain’s best-loved art collections.

The Courtauld Institute of art is located in the beautiful Somerset house, in central London.

The Courtauld Institute of Art was founded by Viscount Lee of Fareham, Samuel Courtauld, and Sir Robert Witt, by a common wish to improve the understanding of the visual arts in England.

Their aim was to provide a training for the professionals who intended to enter the various branches of the art business. They were anxious that it should be academic in the sense of being high-powered, but what they understood by history had little in common with the concerns of a university history department beyond an interest in chronology.

Deborah Swallow takes her visitors for a tour of the institute, here in the library.

Former student, Harry Dougall (24) graduated last year, after completing his Master’s in Curating. He mentions great things about his studies at the Courtauld and explains that the institute also offers work placements at leading museums,so Curating students can be prepared for the future.

-I enjoyed how the MA Curating Programme was organized combing both theoretical and practical study. In addition to having our own art exhibition in the Gallery, we were able to interact a lot with art professionals and gain a real insight into the realities of a career in the art world.

I had the pleasure to work with Andrew Wilson, Curator of Modern and Contemporary British Art at Tate Britain on a display titled London: 1968. This group experience taught us a lot about the challenges of curating; particularly how to mix archive material with artworks and encouraged us to think about the ways the public might interact with such a display. I think this interaction with professionals and the practical experience is one of the most important parts of the programme and is another reason why Courtauld stands out. I think Norwegian students will have many benefits coming to the Courtauld and also to spend time in London which has so many museums and art galleries.

He explains that his Masters programme also has one main placement during which you are assigned a curator and work on a specific exhibition – he worked with Senior Curator Alona Pardo at the Barbican on a major photography exhibition Another Kind of Life – Photography on the Margins. In term of the course each student has to write a thesis and there is also a trip abroad each year.

Harry was also the winner of the AKO Foundation’s Curatorial Award in 2017, and is this month coming to Kristiansand to be a curator for an exhibition titled Between The Trees at Sørlandets Kunstmuseum (SKMU). The AKO Foundation was founded by Nicolai Tangen and provides grants to a range of important projects promoting the arts. This includes the funding of new art museums and collections, educational programmes, scholarships and endowments. The award is a cooperation between the AKO Foundation and the Courtauld institute of Art, and the goal is to strengthen and promote the curating education. MA students at the Courtauld Institute of Art were given the task to curate an exhibition at the planned Kunstsilo in Kristiansand, and the jury, consisting of Nicolai Tangen, Martin Caiger-Smith and Dr Barnaby Wright, were impressed by Harry’s high level of originality and provocative approach to the subject. Sørlandets Kunstmuseum (SKMU) was so excited about the winning contribution that they made room for the exhibition already this summer. It can be seen from 27. june-25. November 2018.