Transformations at The Courtauld

The Courtauld’s 75th anniversary invites us to pause, to salute our founders, to express our gratitude to all those who have made The Courtauld what it is, to communicate our passionate belief in the importance of this institution, and to look forward with excitement to the future.

Deborah Swallow cutting cake
Deborah Swallow launches the celebrationsOur visual identity


With communicating the importance of The Courtauld in mind we appreciated the need to increase external awareness of The Courtauld and its place within the academic and the public arena. Our starting point has been to review and develop our visual identity. With the help of a generous grant from the Friends of The Courtauld Institute we appointed SalterBaxter, a highly experienced firm, to undertake the project. Their brief was to develop a visual identity that reflects our roots, demonstrates the range of art history and conservation that is the focus of our teaching and research, and acknowledges the important role that The Courtauld plays in today’s art world, particularly in relation to contemporary art.

SalterBaxter consulted a variety of groups – current and former students, faculty, staff, governors and donors. The result is a visual identity, which includes new logos and a 75th anniversary mark, to be incorporated on all key communications during the year including our new website. In particular, the website has benefited from a user analysis and I hope that you enjoy using its new features including the online Courtauld Association Network (see page 18).

New appointments
There have been important developments internally. An adjusted staff structure means that Professor David Solkin becomes Dean and Deputy Director of The Courtauld with overall responsibility for all student matters, degree programmes, public programmes and the libraries. He will be working with Academic Registrar, Dr Gareth Morgan, who joins us from Birkbeck; Antony Hopkins, Kilfinan Librarian; and Henrietta Hine, Head of Public Programmes, who joins us from the Whitechapel Art Gallery. We are also delighted to welcome Janine Catalano (MA 2007) as the new Alumni Relations Officer.

Two new courses start this year – the MA in Curating the Art Museum, headed by Martin Caiger-Smith, formerly Acting Director at the Hayward Gallery; and new MA art history courses: Modernism in Britain, 1890-1970, MA in British Art, taught by Visiting Professor, Lisa Tickner, formerly of the University of Middlesex; and Contacts and Contexts in Russian Art c. 1905-45, taught by Visiting Professor John Milner.

honorary fellows
The Courtauld periodically confers the award of Honorary Fellowship on those who have given conspicuous service to the Institute. This year we are delighted to announce that the Board has awarded Honorary Fellowships to Dr David Josefowitz CBE, Mrs Tanya Josefowitz, Mr Morton Neal CBE, Dr Lisbet Rausing, and Mrs Lily Safra.

improved facilities
Last but by no means least, we are delighted that, notwithstanding a rather dramatic flood during the summer, the splendid refurbished Book Library was ready on time and is open (see page 4), and that the Gallery Café and other improved visitor amenities are completed.

This newsletter amply demonstrates all that is fascinating about The Courtauld both in terms of its history and current plans, and the dedication of the many individuals whose energy and support makes it what it is. I hope that you will enjoy celebrating our anniversary with us over the coming year.