The Courtauld Friends at the heart of the art movement Gift Impact Report 2018/19 Prepared for the Trustees of The Friends of The Courtauld Institute of Art June 2020 Thank you for your support We are grateful to The Friends of The Courtauld Institute for its longstanding commitment to our mission and work. Your exceptionally generous grant of £200,000 in 2018/19 provided support across The Courtauld’s core activities, strengthening the institution as a whole. We are delighted to present this overview impact report to highlight just some of the ways in which, together, we are shaping the future of art history. Right: Susannah Kingwill, PhD candidate, History of Art Friends of The Courtauld Institute Scholar 2018/19 and 2019/20 Your impact in 2018/19: £15,000 towards our Public Programmes outreach activities in schools and colleges We aim to transform the way art history is taught to young people, and to raise their aspirations within higher education and the cultural sector. At a time when the arts and humanities are gravely endangered, there is an urgency in this enterprise. Our public programme aims to change lives, offering opportunities for personal, educational and career development, which would not otherwise be open. The Courtauld’s programme targets schools with a high number of pupils qualifying for free school meals (primary and secondary), and the sixth form and further education (FE) colleges, which serve them. With the generous support of The Courtauld Friends, we have continued to enrich and develop our programmes for young people throughout this crucial stage of the Gallery’s transition and closure. Through innovative and relevant outreach sessions, regular communication and the creation of two new learning resources, the programme has continued to meet its objectives. 1 In 2018/19, a total of 5,163 students and young people from non- selective state schools and further education (FE) colleges across the UK took part in our programmes. In London, 4,289 participants took part in a range of outreach activities, an increase of 81% from 2017/18, including; 2,356 students from 40 state schools and colleges across London taking part in one-off outreach workshops, with a further 963 students from 16 state schools and colleges across London taking part in multi-session special projects. Programmes included; Art History in the Classroom, Drawing on Art History, Art and Identity, Art and Maths, Art and Politics, Art and Impressionism, Speaking About Art (ESOL course) and many others. Whilst the total number of participating students is a decrease of 39% on 2017/18, with the Gallery closure in September 2018, and with the financial assistance from the Friends, the Public Programmes department focused on delivering an extended outreach programme. This has ensured continuity and we were able to take advantage of new partnerships, finding ways of engaging young people with the art and architecture found in their local area. We were successfully able to maintain, and in many cases, deepen relationships with existing partner primary and secondary schools, and build new relationships with 14 primary schools and 17 secondary schools. Well-established partnerships and collaborations continued with other charitable organisations and universities, to extend the scope and reach of our programmes, including; The Brilliant Club, FirstStory, IntoUniversity, ARTiculation, as well as HEI partnerships with the Department of Midwifery at Kings College London and the Music Department at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Finally, a new partnership was forged with Arts Emergency, whose mission is to help marginalised young people overcome barriers to participation in higher education and the creative and cultural industries. “This workshop has changed the way I look at paintings. The looser way of working has been really interesting and I am very pleased with the results. It has changed the way I want to work with my [art and design] folder and has taught me to use colour in different ways and that I don't have to blend everything” Course participant, Explore Art History outreach study day, 2018 “Looking deeply into a work and looking at art history has been incredibly beneficial. I have never particularly looked into the history side of art before and I enjoyed discovering how the background to a work can be crucial and develop different readings.” Course participant, Explore Art History outreach study day, 2018 “Our students gained experience on working with other agencies; they gained knowledge about analysing art and curating. And above all, they learned a lot about how to write an essay, which will hugely benefit their Unit 3 AQA ‘A’ Level Personal Study. The students have gained confidence and skills to get on with their personal studies as well as collaboration and teamwork skills. The structure of the programme, the content, the resources and the delivery were outstanding. The presentations on curating and writing an essay that Fran prepared will be hugely beneficial to our department, to both students and teachers.” Class teacher, Kingsdale Foundation School. £35,000 towards the Gallery for Curating and Collections Care (inclusive of £10,000 additional grant) As you well know, The Courtauld is undertaking the most radical transformation in its history, to create a new Courtauld for the coming century. The project, Courtauld Connects, is now well underway as we strive to realise Samuel Courtauld’s vision of ‘art for all’. We aim to put accessibility at the heart of all of our programmes, and at the centre of all Gallery activity. The closure of the Gallery in September 2018 afforded the Gallery team the opportunity to foster new national and international partnerships to achieve some of our most ambitious projects to date. We are delighted to share just a few highlights. 2 The Courtauld Collection on Tour: National and International Partnerships Courtauld Impressionists: From Manet to Cézanne, London, The National Gallery The exhibition, Courtauld Impressionists: From Manet to Cézanne, closed on 20 January 2019. Featuring the largest number of works from The Courtauld’s collection ever seen on the walls of The National Gallery, the exhibition attracted a total of 141,718 visitors, which exceeded predicted visitor figures by 20%. The partnership with The National Gallery has continued with a rolling series of smaller displays in a dedicated room. The first display in March 2019, presented 17 old master paintings from the collection (below). This was followed by 6 further works on view in The National Gallery’s permanent collection displays, shown from May 2019. A further 20 works, including ivories and metalwork, are due to be added to The National Gallery’s displays in the coming months. The partnership will continue until April 2020 and will ensure that the Collection has a London presence until we re-open. The Courtauld Collection: A Vision for Impressionism, Paris, Fondation Louis Vuitton (LVMH) On 20 February, a major exhibition, The Courtauld Collection: A Vision for Impressionism, opened at the Fondation Louis Vuitton, publicly initiating our partnership with LVMH. The exhibition brought together over 110 works purchased by Samuel Courtauld, the majority of which had not been seen in Paris for over 60 years. The show explored Samuel Courtauld’s role as one of the great collectors of the 20th century and showcased his extraordinary collection. 3 The exhibition was given an exceptional reception by the French media, with extensive television, radio and newspaper coverage, including the front page of Le Figaro. Dedicated special editions of popular arts publications Connaissance des Arts and the Le Journal des Arts were produced. The Art Newspaper issued its first ever supplement dedicated to an exhibition (circulated as part of the UK, French and Chinese editions) and there was much coverage in cross-over media, ranging from fashion publications to current affairs and society (e.g. Point de Vue). LVMH’s reach and prestige has also generated significant international coverage, from Korean Elle and Eva Air (Taiwan) inflight magazine. The Courtauld team worked hard to support the media campaign at all levels. A strong advertising campaign further increased awareness of the exhibition. A dedicated evening for social media influencers helped ensure extensive coverage online, together with dedicated online content produced and disseminated by the FLV itself. Alongside the superlative quality of the collection and the ‘homecoming’ aspect of the exhibition, Samuel Courtauld and his vision and purpose were strong points of focus for the media. The Courtauld Institute of Art has also received valuable coverage. Within the ten week run, the exhibition had 482,849 visitors, far exceeding all expectations. The exhibition was supported by a catalogue, which offered an opportunity to undertake and publish new research on Courtauld. Finally, a concert in honour of Elizabeth Courtauld was held on 20th March, and the following day a conference was organised on aspects of collecting, and on the Courtauld Institute of Art - past, present and future. Precious and Rare: Islamic Metalwork from The Courtauld, Truro, Bradford, Bath, Oxford From September 2019 through to 2021, a touring project will present The Courtauld’s 10 best pieces of Islamic metalwork, starting at The Royal Cornwall Museum in Truro, The Cartwright Hall Art Gallery in Bradford, The Holburne Museum in Bath, and the Museum of the History of Science in Oxford. The aim of this tour is to highlight an important, but little known area of the collection whilst engaging with new audiences and new communities, enabled through the temporary closure of our Gallery. 4 On 28 March 2019, Dr Alexandra Gerstein, McQueens Curator of Sculpture and Decorative Arts, hosted a meeting for representatives from the partner organisations at the Courtauld’s temporary premises in Vernon Square. This included a handling session, work on planning and logistics, and discussion of curatorial content and outreach/educational opportunities.