5 October 2002 — 19 January 2003


In Excavated Mutilations: New Work by Conrad Atkinson, a powerful exhibition of work made in response to paintings and sculpture in the Courtauld collections, Atkinson’s works will be exhibited alongside the Courtauld’s historic pieces that inspired them. Each piece deals in a different way with the difficulty of seeing clearly through the blizzard of images which confront us daily.

Lawrence Rinder, Curator of the Whitney Museum of American Art, has said of Atkinson’s work: "It is the forging together of conceptualism and activism to art practice that distinguishes Atkinson’s work and makes it such an important contribution to art history".



Caravaggio, Narcissus
Caravaggio, Narcissus, Galleria Nazionale, Rome

12 & 13 December 2002
The Courtauld Institute of Art
An international conference in conjunction with the University of British Columbia.
For further details, please contact Dr. Joanna Woodall: joanna.woodall@courtauld.ac.uk.


Friends Events

The Iveagh Bequest, Kenwood House and Horticultural visit to Hampstead Heath
Tuesday 26 November 10.30am to 1pm

The success of the visit to Spencer House has prompted us to arrange more special visits.

On 26th November you are invited to a guided tour of the permanent collection of Kenwood House, a magnificent mansion at the top of Hampstead Heath, remodelled (1767-9) by Robert Adam for William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield (1705-93), with 112 acres of gardens landscaped by Humphrey Repton. The House and its contents was left to the nation by Edward Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh (1847-1927).

The collection is rich in English, Flemish and Dutch masterpieces. Gainsborough, and Reynolds are well represented, as are Van Dyck, Rembrandt and Vermeer along with Dutch masters of the 17th century. An interesting connection with the Courtauld is that Professor Anthony Blunt supervised the first catalogue of the collection. The House itself boasts one of the finest libraries designed by Robert Adam.

After a break for coffee, we will visit the landscaped gardens. Our tour will cover both the history and the thirty year plan to restore its gardens to their original design. After our tour you will have the opportunity to visit a new exhibition The Suffolk Collection of Jacobean and Royal Portraits. This promises to be an exciting outing to one of London’s finest collections.
Price: £10

Tour of house, 10.30am, coffee 11.30am, horticultural tour, 12noon - 1.00pm
The tour is open to Friends, former students and their guests.
Location: Hampstead Lane, Hampstead NW3 Telephone 020 8348 1286


Painting Passion and Politics
Wednesday 29 January 2003 11.00-12.00am
We are very pleased to invite you to a guided tour of the exhibition at the Hermitage Rooms of masterpieces from the Walpole collection, on loan from The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg. Sir Robert Walpole (1676-1745), 1st Earl of Orford, assembled one of the 18th century’s most famous art collections for his estate, Houghton Hall in Norfolk. Unfortunately for the nation, his eccentric and volatile grandson proceeded in the greatest secrecy to sell some 204 works to Catherine the Great of Russia in 1778-9, thus symbolising the family’s decline. Rumours of the sale spread quickly and a few paintings were allowed to be copied and sold as engravings before they left the country. This is a unique opportunity to see some 34 masterpieces from the Walpole Collection. Special guide Aisha Jung, will give us a guided tour of works by Dutch and Flemish painters such as Rembrandt, Rubens and Van Dyck as well as works by Poussin, Claude and Murillo.