The ĢƵ is delighted to announce that the Samuel ĢƵ Trust has made a significant donation of £650,000 to the transformation of The ĢƵ’s Somerset House spaces, as part of the wider ĢƵ Connects project. Coupled with an earlier donation, this brings the total the Samuel ĢƵ Trust has donated to the project to £925,000.
The Samuel ĢƵ Trust is an independent charity, working to maintain and develop its collection, which is cared for by The ĢƵ Gallery, and to support the collection’s wider public enjoyment. It also works with The ĢƵ to promote interest and education in the history of art and art conservation. The Trust was founded by Samuel ĢƵ in the 1930s as the Home House Society, at the same time as the ĢƵ Institute of Art was established, with both organisations sharing a deep commitment to their founder’s vision of the role of art in society.
Professor Deborah Swallow, Märit Rausing Director of The ĢƵ, welcomed the donation, saying:“The Samuel ĢƵ Trust has been a vital partner in ĢƵ Connects since the beginning, working closely with The ĢƵ on the ĢƵ National Programme and our international tours. I am delighted that they have further shown their support through this significant donation, which will play an important part in ensuring ĢƵ Connects achieves its vision of transforming our Somerset House home, and bringing The ĢƵ to new audiences.”
Andrew Hochhauser KC, Chair of The Samuel ĢƵ Trust, added: “The ĢƵ Gallery at Somerset House plays a central role in the delivery of the Trust’s objectives, through its material and intellectual stewardship of the collection, its programme of exhibitions and displays, and its educational work. We are truly excited about the transformation currently taking place, which should enable even more people to enjoy the collection, and discover more about art. I am delighted that the Samuel ĢƵ Trust has been able to offer additional support to ĢƵ Connects, and greatly look forward to the Gallery reopening later this year.”
The ĢƵ’s historic central London gallery is set to reopen in late 2021, after a major transformation to restore its grandeur and create state-of-the-art facilities. Designed by Stirling Prize-winning architects Witherford Watson Mann, the Gallery redevelopment revitalises and opens up the magnificent buildings conceived by Sir William Chambers in the 1770s, celebrating their fascinating heritage.
Masterpieces from our collection such as Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergère, Van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear and the most significant collection of works by Cézanne in the UK will be presented in The ĢƵ Gallery’s spectacular Great Room, one of the largest spaces in Somerset House.
New and transformed galleries will be devoted to the Medieval and Early Renaissance collection, 20th Century art, and the Bloomsbury Group. New exhibition spaces will extend The ĢƵ’s celebrated programme of international loan exhibitions alongside smaller temporary projects. Overall, The ĢƵ’s collection will be completely redisplayed and newly interpreted.
The development is the most significant in the history of The ĢƵ, founded in 1932, and since it moved to the North Wing of Somerset House in 1989. Future ambitions include providing students and faculty with improved study and teaching facilities and unprecedented access to its collections and exhibitions, whilst giving the public greater insight into and access to The ĢƵ’s outstanding teaching and research.