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Van Gogh, Colour, The Ģ��Ƶ and Me

Marta Guerrini — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 15:57:32 +0000

Linda, Van Gogh, Colour, The Ģ��Ƶ and Me, SMart Network community group, Sense of Self Online Exhibition 2025 | The Ģ��Ƶ.

Linda, SMart Network community group

Collaged zine with pen and pencil on paper

This zine was made by a member of SMart, reflecting on recent workshops and art that has inspired them from the Ģ��Ƶ Gallery collection and temporary exhibitions. Here, they have focussed on Vincent van Gogh’s use of colour, alongside their own associations between colour and the expression of human emotions such as joy, fear and inspiration.

Explore more works

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Cork Street celebrates 100 years of galleries

Caitlin Brooker — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 19:56:28 +0000

By Dr Stephanie Dieckvoss, Senior Lecturer in Art History

From our co-lead on the MA Art and Business course at The Ģ��Ƶ, find out about the fascinating history of one of the most significant art streets in London.

Fifteen galleries showcasing modern and contemporary art from around the world are located on Cork Street. Waddington Galleries, now operating as Waddington Custot, is one of the longstanding establishments on the street, having occupied its current location since 1985. Leslie Waddington (1934–2015) founded the gallery in 1966 on the same street. He not only introduced American abstract painters such as Milton Avery, Helen Frankenthaler, Kenneth Noland, and Morris Louis to London but also supported the careers of emerging British artists from the ‘New Generation’, including David Annesley, Peter Blake, Michael Bolus, John Hoyland, and Patrick Caulfield, as well as sculptors like Barry Flanagan.

Most recently, in October 2023, Maria Varnava relocated her Tiwani Gallery to the Cork Street while maintaining a presence in Lagos, Nigeria.[1] Varnava appreciates the latest development in the area, where nearly all ground-floor retail units are now galleries, and commends the street’s international vibe. In an interview with the author, she remarks that ‘it’s exciting to work with many British artists in the middle of their careers who have connections to Africa. So it’s impressive to see how diverse Cork Street is and how it responds to the global nature of art.’

Virginia Chihota on display at Tiwani Contemporary, Cork Street, London. Photo credits: Deniz Guzel

Cork Street Banners Commission 2025, ‘Fear Gives Wings to Courage’, in collaboration with Tarini Malik, Courtesy Cork Street Galleries and The Pollen Estate. Photo credit: Luke Hayes

The Goodman Gallery from South Africa opened its London branch in 2019, following the completion of extensive reconstruction by the Pollen Estate, the main landlord in the area, which had replaced old buildings with new office blocks. According to gallery director Jo Stella-Sawicka, it was the only site in London that met their needs. The Pollen Estate has since welcomed art dealers such as Holtermann Fine Art and the renowned gallerist Alison Jacques to its group of gallery tenants. More than any other commercial gallery, ‘No. 9 Cork Street’, a rental space managed by art fair organiser Frieze, reflects the evolving 21st-century art market. Its spaces, spanning two townhouses, allow international galleries to temporarily ‘pop up’ and reach new audiences in the heart of the London art scene, located in Mayfair. Located between Sotheby’s auction house to the north and Christie’s in the South, around the corner of the Royal Academy, it’s one of the lay lines of the art market in London, as Jacob Twyford of Waddington Custot points out in conversation. Year-round, Cork Street presents visitors with a diverse range of engaging exhibitions.

It all began a century ago with the opening of the Mayor Gallery in 1925. Initially showcasing artists such as Ivon Hitchens and Paul Nash, the gallery soon featured works by Francis Bacon, Max Ernst, Barbara Hepworth, and Henry Moore. In 1936, the Redfern Gallery relocated to become the second gallery on Cork Street, having previously been based on Bond Street. It is noteworthy as the only pre-war gallery still operating at its original site. Cork Street’s reputation for avant-garde art attracted Peggy Guggenheim, who briefly operated her Guggenheim Jeune gallery there in 1938 before relocating to New York. After the disruptive years of the Second World War, it was Roland, Browse, and Delbanco that opened its doors in 1945, an occasion vividly recalled by one of the founding partners, Lilian Browse, in her autobiography, Duchess of Cork Street‘, published in 1999. The gallery continued to operate in a more traditional manner, alternating exhibitions of 18th- and 19th-century art with those of contemporary art, although they were still one of the few to show living artists in the period after the war.

Historic image of Waddington Gallery on Cork Street. Courtesy of the Cork Street Centenary

Peter Blake, Fear Gives Wings to Courage. Image courtesy the artist and Waddington Custot2

However, it was during the 1960s that galleries founded by Bernard Jacobson and Leslie Waddington transformed the street into a centre for contemporary art. What was then still emerging art quickly gained recognition and became established. Cork Street expanded and developed, and at the same time, it became a symbol of the established art market. This may have prompted the 1985 act by the ‘Grey Organisation’, a group of ‘post-punk’ artists who splattered paint over all the shop windows in a clandestine operation to protest against the ‘lifeless art elite’. Although Victoria Miro opened her gallery on Cork Street in the same year, taking over the premises from Robert (Bob) Fraser, who had exhibited Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring there, Miro was among the first galleries to promote a new generation of artists in London. However, after 2000, the new hub of contemporary art shifted to the East End, where Miro also relocated. The rise of young art did not occur in the heart of commerce but near the artists, in industrial halls.

While in 2012 Cork Street still had around 20 galleries, its reputation was waning. By then, not only had the galleries appeared tired, but also the offices above them. The property owners, the Pollen Estate and Native Land, aimed to redevelop the area, but the galleries began campaigning to preserve the street. They petitioned Westminster Council to designate the street for gallery use. The “Save Cork Street” campaign gathered many supporters and attracted significant attention. Time Magazine reported that in 2011, 80 per cent of the art trade was conducted in Mayfair.[2] Looking back a decade, one can say that, on one hand, the street lost a number of dealers, such as the Mayor Gallery, which permanently relocated to Bury Street in St. James’s. Others had to move away for a number of years. But now, the area is once again a hub of activity, and its more international outlook aligns well with the changing tastes in art as much as with evolving art business practices.

[1] .

[2] Paramaguru, Kharunya. ‘Saving Cork Street: Is London’s Historic Art District Under Threat?’ Time, 12 February 2013. .

Grey Organisation Attack on Cork Street, 21 May 1985

Cork St party. celebrating 100 years of art galleries on Cork Street. London. 10 July 2025

Ģ��Ƶ MA Art and Business at The Ģ��Ƶ

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The Ģ��Ƶ receives the largest gift in its history from the Reuben Foundation

Ashleigh Toll — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 09:00:36 +0000

This morning it was announced that the Reuben Foundation has donated £30 million to the Ģ��Ƶ. This is the largest financial gift the Ģ��Ƶ has ever received.

Today’s announcement marks the beginning of a long-term partnership, which will also see the Reuben Foundation supporting the development of displays and exhibitions at the Ģ��Ƶ through sharing works from the Reuben family’s extensive collection of art.

The Ģ��Ƶ, founded in 1932, thanks to Samuel Ģ��Ƶ’s extraordinary philanthropy, brings together a world-class art collection and a globally renowned academic institute in a way unmatched by others. The Reuben Foundation’s generous gift, echoing that of Samuel Ģ��Ƶ, forms part of a major campaign being mounted for the Ģ��Ƶ’s centenary.

Having reopened its Gallery in 2021, the Ģ��Ƶ’s new campus on the Strand is expected to open in 2029. Over the last decade, £115m has been raised for these two interlinked projects. The Reuben Foundation’s extraordinary new gift will play a transformative role in funding the Strand campus and in supporting the Ģ��Ƶ’s aim to share its expertise on the visual arts with the widest possible audience.

Commenting on the gift,��Lisa Reuben, Trustee of the Reuben Foundation, said: “We are thrilled by the opportunity to build on the Ģ��Ƶ’s remarkable history and to support the realisation of its ambitious development. Recognised internationally as the pre-eminent centre for the study of art history, art conservation and curatorial studies, the Ģ��Ƶ exemplifies the philanthropist Samuel Ģ��Ƶ’s vision of ‘art for all.’ Its enduring commitment to excellence – reflected in the generations of leaders in the art world it has produced – aligns seamlessly with the Reuben Foundation’s values and ethos and furthers our commitment to education and culture.”

On behalf of the Ģ��Ƶ, its Chairman, Lord Browne of Madingley, said: “Our success has always depended on the vision and foresight of enlightened philanthropists. We are delighted to build upon this success through our new partnership with the Reuben Foundation, which enables us to evolve once more, dramatically expanding our national and international impact.”

Professor Mark Hallett, Märit Rausing Director of the Ģ��Ƶ, said: “The partnership with the Reuben Foundation marks a defining moment in the Ģ��Ƶ’s history, ushering in a bold new chapter and launching us into our next century with even greater ambition and purpose. We look forward to working closely with the Foundation over the coming years and creating something truly unique together.”

Lisa Reuben, Trustee of the Reuben Foundation, with Mark Hallett, Märit Rausing Director of The Ģ��Ƶ Photo credit: David Levene

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Cubism and Reality

Diego Arteche — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 10:38:05 +0000

The painter-art historian John Golding was supervisor of Christopher Green’s Ģ��Ƶ doctoral thesis (1973).�� Golding’s Cubism. A History and Analysis (1959) came out of his own Ģ��Ƶ doctoral thesis. He was one of the first to teach Modern and Contemporary at the Institute. Green’s new book stems from a critical re-evaluation of his responses to Cubist artworks as a student of Golding. It raises challenging questions.

In the 1960s, Cubism was directly relevant to contemporary art. In 2000 it became an historical phenomenon of the last Century, increasingly detached from the concerns of artists using mechanical reproduction, or those taking collage and assemblage into installation, conscious more of Dada/Surrealist precedents.�� Analyses of Cubist artworks, moreover, are no longer shaped by Greenbergian formalism; now they are much more “read” than visually analyzed.�� Semiological and contextual approaches have taken over.�� Then too, Cubism has become a fixture in canonical art history and has spawned a vast, intimidating historiography.

Out of a long familiarity with that historiography, Green’s book presents a fresh look at Braque, Picasso and Juan Gris alone, treating their works as never conclusive statements in an ongoing conversation, a radical trialogue. A starting point is Picasso’s statement: “Cubism was fundamentally a base kind of materialism.” Cubist drawings, paintings and constructions are approached as hand-made objects, objects, however, that are always representations of things, people and places from these individuals’ daily life. Research alongside conservators has been key. Central among the questions raised is the issue of Cubism’s relationship to abstraction, and painting’s place in industrialized modernity now and then. Green’s book argues that what mattered to Braque, Picasso and Gris was the representation of more not less ‘reality’, and also the survival of figurative art in the face of the challenge of mechanical reproduction.

Organised by Gavin Parkinson, Professor in European Modernism, Ģ��Ƶ Institute.��

Speakers:

Christopher Green is Emeritus Professor of the Ģ��Ƶ Institute, and is a Fellow of the British Academy.�� Among his books are: Cubism and its Enemies: Modern Movements and Reaction in French Art, 1916-1928 (1987, winner of the Mitchel Prize for 20th Century art history), Art in France, 1900-1940 (2000), and Picasso: Architecture and Vertigo (2005).�� Among the exhibitions he has curated, whose catalogues he has edited are: Modern Antiquity: Picasso, de Chirico, Léger, Picabia (Los Angeles: J.Paul Getty Museum, 2011), Mondrian/Nicholson. In Parallel (Ģ��Ƶ Gallery, 2012), and Cubism and War. The Crystal in the Flame (Museu Picasso, Barcelona, 2016-17).�� His co-curated exhibition Henri Rousseau. The Secrets of a Painter (Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia) opens this October.

Dr Charles Miller, known professionally as C.F.B Miller, is Senior Lecturer in Art History and Theory at the University of Manchester, and author of Radical Picasso. The Use Value of Genius (University of California Press, 2022).

Cover of Cubism and Reality, Christopher Green, (Bloomsbury, 2025)

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Story and Vision: Wonders of Creation

Diego Arteche — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 10:20:08 +0000

This illustrated talk will explore the story and vision behind Wonders of Creation: Art, Science, and Innovation in the Islamic World, a touring exhibition organised by The San Diego Museum of Art and which was on view in San Diego and at The McMullen Museum of Art, Boston College, in 2024–25. Wonders of Creation explored intersections of art and science in Islamic intellectual and visual culture from the 8th century to the present through the lens of “wonder” defined by an influential 13th-century Islamic cosmography describing the universe. Written in Arabic and Persian by Zakariyya ibn Muhammad al-Qazwini and entitled The Wonders of Creation and the Rarities of Existence, this text catalogues the marvels of the universe in a single, richly illustrated book.��Its framework inspired an innovative platform for the presentation of over 200 works of Islamic material culture, including manuscripts, astrolabes, magic bowls, precious stones, lustre ware, architectural elements, and contemporary art.��Following the cosmography’s narrative through the celestial and terrestrial realms, topics such as astronomy, astrology, natural history, alchemy, medicine, and geometry were explored through objects from Spain, North Africa, and the Middle East to Central, South, and Southeast Asia and the modern diaspora. In this talk, Ladan will share an overview of the exhibition and consider how its conceptual framework might serve as a methodology for representing Islamic art and material culture on a wider scale.

Ladan Akbarnia (PhD, Harvard University) is newly-appointed Head of Curatorial and Professor of Islamic World Collections at the Fitzwilliam Museum and the Museum’s first curator of Islamic art. Her research, exhibitions, and publications address cross-cultural transmissions in Iran, Central Asia, and South Asia; Sufism; Persianate drawings; science and craft; contemporary art; and methodologies of museum display. Previously, she was Curator of South Asian and Islamic Art at The San Diego Museum of Art (2019–25), where she was organised Wonders of Creation and accompanying publication; Assistant Keeper & Curator of Islamic Collections and lead curator for the Albukhary Foundation Gallery of the Islamic World at The British Museum (2010–19); Hagop Kevorkian Associate Curator of Islamic Art at the Brooklyn Museum (2007–10), where she reinstalled the Islamic collection and organised Light of the Sufis: The Mystical Arts of Islam. She served as Executive Director of the Iran Heritage Foundation in London (2009–10) and Commissioner of Arts and Culture for San Diego County from 2023–25.

Organised by Dr Jessica Barker, Senior Lecturer in Medieval Art History, The Ģ��Ƶ, as part of the Medieval Work-in-Progress Series. This series is generously supported by Sam Fogg.

ʿAbd al-majid (scribe). ‘The islands and strange animals of the China Sea’. Manuscript of The Wonders of Creation and the Rarities of Existence. Northern India, Rajab al-murajab 976 ah (December 1598).

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First UK museum exhibition of Wayne Thiebaud opens at The Ģ��Ƶ Gallery

Dervla O'shea — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 09:44:02 +0000

Press images:  ��

The Ģ��Ƶ Gallery today unveiled the first-ever museum exhibition in the UK on the celebrated modern American artist Wayne Thiebaud (1920–2021). The Griffin Catalyst Exhibition: Wayne Thiebaud. American Still Life is on display from 10 October 2025 – 18 January 2026. ��

One of the most original American artists of the 20th century, Thiebaud developed a unique style of painting to express his vision of post-war American culture through its everyday objects. �į �į��

The exhibition at The Ģ��Ƶ Gallery focuses on Thiebaud’s break-out works of the 1960s that made his reputation and brings together some of the greatest paintings the artist produced during this remarkable period – lush and captivating depictions of quintessential modern American subjects, from cherry pies, hot dogs and candy counters to gumball dispensers and pinball machines. With these works, Thiebaud recast the genre of still life for the modern era. ��

In 1962, Thiebaud asserted, ‘Each era produces its own still life.’ Steeped in art history, he considered his work as continuing the radical legacy of artists such as Jean-Siméon Chardin, Paul Cézanne and Édouard Manet. Thiebaud saw the commonplace objects of his own time – iconic features of American consumer culture – as vital subjects for contemporary art. His works transformed everyday delights such as lemon meringue pies and glossy cream cakes into the stuff of serious modern painting. Thiebaud’s vibrantly coloured pictures of the offerings of American diners, bakeries and stores are painterly meditations on their subjects, which draw the viewer deep into the world they represent. ��

Painted during a period of American economic boom and optimism but also increasingly of dissent and change, Thiebaud’s still lifes belie their direct and simple appearance. Within a single work, a sense of abundance and desire can give way to feelings of isolation and longing. ��

Thiebaud lived and worked most of his life in Sacramento, California, and was a longstanding teacher at nearby University of California, Davis. In the 1940s and 1950s, before becoming a painter, he worked as an illustrator, cartoonist and art director, including a summer spent in the animation department of Walt Disney Studios and a role as a graphic designer for the US army as part of his military service during the Second World War. ��

In 1956, Thiebaud travelled to New York to meet the avant-garde artists working there. Willem de Kooning was especially inspirational and encouraged him to find his own voice and subjects as a modern painter. Back in Sacramento, he began painting commonplace objects of American life, largely from memory, and soon crystallised his unique approach, isolating his richly painted subjects against spare backgrounds. In 1961, he took this group of modern still lifes to New York looking for a gallery to show them. Having faced rejection from most, he made a last stop at a gallery run by a young dealer, Allan Stone, who took him on. The following year, Thiebaud staged his first solo show at the Allan Stone Gallery, which was an overnight success, propelling him into the limelight. Important collectors and institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art, purchased works and the exhibition sold out. From there, Thiebaud would go on to become one of the major figures of 20th-century American art. ��

In that same year, 1962, Thiebaud was featured, alongside artists such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, in two historic shows that established the Pop Art movement. Although his work coincided with Pop Art, Thiebaud never considered himself part of the movement. Rather than being rooted in advertising graphics, methods of mass reproduction, and concerned with flat, print-like surfaces, Thiebaud’s work is painterly almost to the point of exaggeration. He exploited the physical properties of paint to create an intense and captivating expression of his chosen subjects. ��

The exhibition features rarely lent works from major museums and private collections in the United States. Highlights include Thiebaud’s epic painting Cakes, lent for the first time outside the US by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., and Four Pinball Machines, one of his most significant works in a private collection. Other major loans include works from the Whitney Museum of Art, New York; the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.; and the Fine Art Museums of San Francisco, among others. The exhibition also benefits from generous loans from the Wayne Thiebaud Foundation in Sacramento. �į��

An accompanying display in the Gilbert and Ildiko Butler Drawings Gallery, Wayne Thiebaud. Delights, focuses on the artist’s celebrated 1965 portfolio of 17 exquisite etchings to offer further insight into his still-life motifs and work as a graphic artist.  �į��

In addition to holding one of the few works by Thiebaud in a UK public collection – the pen-and-ink drawing Cake Slices from 1963 – The Ģ��Ƶ offers a rich context for the exploration of Thiebaud’s remaking of the genre of still life. Most notably, it will be fascinating to consider his work in relation to Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergère, a painting Thiebaud greatly admired. With its counter line-up of tempting treats, from mandarins to champagne, it is the defining precursor painting of modern consumer culture and society. �į ��

The exhibition is curated by Dr Karen Serres, Senior Curator of Paintings, and Dr Barnaby Wright, Deputy Head of The Ģ��Ƶ Gallery and Daniel Katz Curator of 20th-Century Art. It is accompanied by a richly illustrated catalogue showcasing new research on Thiebaud’s still lifes, with contributions from leading scholars. ��

The exhibition’s Title Supporter is Griffin Catalyst, the civic engagement initiative of Citadel Founder and CEO Kenneth C. Griffin. The exhibition is supported by Kenneth C. Griffin with additional support from the Wayne Thiebaud Foundation and the Wayne Thiebaud Supporters’ Circle.��

The Griffin Catalyst Exhibition: Wayne Thiebaud. American Still Life  
Denise Coates Exhibition Galleries, Floor 3 �į
10 October 2025 – 18 January 2026  
/whats-on/exh-wayne-thiebaud-american-still-life/  ��

Wayne Thiebaud. Delights  
Gilbert and Ildiko Butler Drawings Gallery, Floor 1  
10 October 2025 – 18 January 2026  
/whats-on/exh-wayne-thiebaud-delights/  ��

The programme of displays in the Drawings Gallery is generously supported by the International Music and Art Foundation, with additional support from James Bartos.��

The Ģ��Ƶ Gallery  
Somerset House, Strand �į
London WC2R 0RN ��

Opening hours: 10.00 – 18.00 (last entry 17.15) �į��

Temporary Exhibition tickets (including entry to our Permanent Collection and displays) – from £18. Friends and under-18s go free. Other concessions available. �į��

Ģ��Ƶ Friends get a year of free, unlimited entry to our latest exhibitions and displays, plus our world-famous permanent collection, access to exhibition presales, previews, early morning views, exclusive events, discounts and more. Join at courtauld.ac.uk/friends �į��

MEDIA CONTACTS  ��

The Ģ��Ƶ  
/about-us/press-office/ 
media@courtauld.ac.uk �į ��

Bolton & Quinn  
Erica Bolton | erica@boltonquinn.com | +44 (0)20 7221 5000 
Daisy Taylor | daisy@boltonquinn.com | +44 (0)20 7221 5000��

SOCIAL MEDIA – THE COURTAULD  ��

Facebook @TheĢ��Ƶ �į
Instagram @Ģ��Ƶ #TheĢ��Ƶ �į
Threads @courtauld �į
TikTok @TheĢ��Ƶ
YouTube TheĢ��Ƶ �į��

NOTES TO EDITORS  ��

About The Ģ��Ƶ  
The Ģ��Ƶ works to advance how we see and understand the visual arts, as an internationally renowned centre for the teaching and research of art history and a major public gallery. Founded by collectors and philanthropists in 1932, the organisation has been at the forefront of the study of art ever since through advanced research and conservation practice, innovative teaching, the renowned collection and inspiring exhibitions of its gallery, and engaging and accessible activities, education and events. �į��

The Ģ��Ƶ cares for one of the greatest art collections in the UK, presenting these works to the public at The Ģ��Ƶ Gallery in central London, as well as through loans and partnerships. The Gallery is most famous for its iconic Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces – such as Van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear and Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergère. It showcases these alongside an internationally renowned collection of works from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance through to the present day. �į��

Academically, The Ģ��Ƶ faculty is the largest community of art historians and conservators in the UK, teaching and carrying out research on subjects from creativity in late Antiquity to contemporary digital artforms – with an increasingly global focus. An independent college of the University of London, The Ģ��Ƶ offers a range of degree programmes from BA to PhD in the History of Art, curating and the conservation of easel and wall paintings. Its alumni are leaders and innovators in the arts, culture and business worlds, helping to shape the global agenda for the arts and creative industries. �į��

Founded on the belief that everyone should have the opportunity to engage with art, The Ģ��Ƶ works to increase understanding of the role played by art throughout history, in all societies and across all geographies – as well as being a champion for the importance of art in the present day. This could be through exhibitions offering a chance to look closely at world-famous works; events bringing art history research to new audiences; accessible and expert short courses; digital engagement, innovative school, family and community programmes; or taking a formal qualification. The Ģ��Ƶ’s ambition is to transform access to art history education by extending the horizons of what this is and ensuring as many people as possible can benefit from the tools to better understand the visual world around us. �į��

The Ģ��Ƶ is an exempt charity and relies on generous philanthropic support to achieve its mission of advancing the understanding of the visual arts of the past and present across the world through advanced research, innovative teaching, inspiring exhibitions, programmes and collections. �į

The collection cared for by The Ģ��Ƶ Gallery is owned by the Samuel Ģ��Ƶ Trust. �į��

About Griffin Catalyst��

Griffin Catalyst is the civic engagement initiative of Citadel founder and CEO Kenneth C. Griffin, encompassing his philanthropic and community impact efforts. Tackling the world’s greatest challenges in innovative, action-oriented, and evidence-driven ways, Griffin Catalyst is dedicated to expanding opportunity and improving lives across six areas of focus: Education, Science & Medicine, Upward Mobility, Freedom & Democracy, Enterprise & Innovation, and Communities. For more information, visit ��

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5 things to know about Wayne Thiebaud

Dervla O'shea — Mon, 06 Oct 2025 09:13:31 +0000

The Griffin Catalyst Exhibition: Wayne Thiebaud. American Still Life at The Ģ��Ƶ Gallery will be the first-ever museum show of Wayne Thiebaud’s work in the UK. It will present Thiebaud’s remarkable, vibrant and lushly painted still-lifes of quintessentially post-war American subjects, from diner food and deli counters to gumball dispensers and pinball machines. These are the paintings with which Thiebaud made his name in the United States in the early 1960s. ��Here’s five things to know about the celebrated modern artist and his works.

He found fame with a slice of pie

At the beginning of the 1960s, Thiebaud developed a unique style of painting, devoting himself to depicting common objects of American life, from pieces of cherry pie to gumball machines and deli counters. He also liked how a slice of pie on a plate – essentially, a triangle on top of a circle, as he said – represented the building blocks of a composition. He exhibited these still lifes to great acclaim in 1962. His paintings of pies and cakes were especially admired and bought by major collectors and museums, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York. This marked the beginning of his reputation as a major figure of modern painting.

A painter, not a Pop artist

Thiebaud was deeply engaged with everyday objects of popular culture, like pinball machines and candy counters, and was often exhibited alongside Pop artists of the period, such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. However, Thiebaud disliked being thought of as a Pop artist and considered himself a painter in the tradition of Jean-Siméon Chardin and Paul Cézanne. Thiebaud’s lushly painted works that vividly bring their subjects to life are very different from the cool detachment, slick surfaces and appropriation of commercial graphics that are features of Pop art.

Wayne Thiebaud (1920-2021), Boston Cremes, 1962, oil on canvas, Crocker Art Museum, © Wayne Thiebaud/VAGA at ARS, NY and DACS, London 2025.

From Disney to diners

Thiebaud had a varied career before devoting himself fully to painting in the 1950s. He worked as a cartoonist (and even did a summer internship at Walt Disney Studios), an illustrator and an art director. Thiebaud greatly valued his training in commercial art and design, which he thought helped him achieve visual power and clarity in his paintings when he turned his attention to painting the world of modern American diners and delis.

An American Still Life

Thiebaud thought of his work as recasting the genre of still life for the modern age. He was influenced by great painters of the past, such as Chardin, Cézanne and Édouard Manet. Thiebaud admired how their still-life paintings spoke powerfully of their times and he sought a distinct language to paint his own era. One touchstone painting for Thiebaud was Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergère (Ģ��Ƶ Gallery). This famous depiction of consumer culture in nineteenth-century Paris, with its display of newly available items such as Bass beer, champagne and peppermint liqueur, has fascinating parallels with Thiebaud’s paintings of the deli counters and diner displays of post-war America.

Wayne Thiebaud in his studio in Sacramento with Professor Paul Beckmann, 1962/63. Collection of the Wayne Thiebaud Foundation. © Wayne Thiebaud/VAGA at ARS, NY and DACS, London 2025

A devoted teacher

Thiebaud was teaching in the art department at the University of California, Davis, near his home in Sacramento when he became famous in the 1960s. Rather than giving up his teaching position, Thiebaud remained devoted to it and continued to teach generations of art students at Davis throughout his very long career. He remained associated with the University until his death in 2021 at the age of 101. Thiebaud felt that his art was continually reinvigorated by teaching others to draw and paint.

The Griffin Catalyst Exhibition: Wayne Thiebaud. American Still Life will be on display in the Denise Coates Exhibitions Gallery, Floor 3 from 10 Oct 2025 – 18 Jan 2026. Ģ��Ƶ Friends go free. Book now

See Wayne Thiebaud at The Ģ��Ƶ Gallery

Exhibition, Exhibitions, The Ģ��Ƶ Gallery, What’s on Highlights

Wayne Thiebaud. American Still Life

10 Oct 2025 – 18 Jan 2026

The first ever UK museum show devoted to the work of Wayne Thiebaud (1920-2021), now considered to be one of the greatest and most original American artists of the 20th century.

Exhibition, Exhibitions, The Ģ��Ƶ Gallery, What’s on Highlights

Wayne Thiebaud. Delights

10 Oct 2025 – 18 Jan 2026

This display of 17 prints complements The Griffin Catalyst Exhibition: Wayne Thiebaud. American Still Life, the first ever UK museum show devoted to the work of Wayne Thiebaud (1920-2021).

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MA Preventive Conservation

Sadia Wahid — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 15:41:54 +0000

Do you want to make a difference to the future preservation and care of our shared cultural heritage? The MA Preventive Conservation is a unique one-year full-time programme that will prepare you for a professional career in the heritage sector.

Preventive conservation does not involve the treatment of damaged cultural heritage, but rather addresses the causes of potential damage before it happens. These threats can take many forms, some more obvious than others – fire and flood damage may quickly come to mind, but cumulative deterioration caused by higher light levels, or very dry or humid conditions, can require specialist monitoring equipment to detect. Working as a preventive conservator, you could be using these monitoring systems daily, behind the scenes in a museum, to keep an eye on environmental conditions or even track the movements of insect pests. You could be asked to advise on the design and maintenance of museum spaces and new exhibitions, to make sure that collections are safely housed inside, or come up with strategies for salvage in the event of fire or flood.

The course will equip you with a sound understanding of the principles and practicalities of preventive conservation, giving experience in identifying, measuring and addressing potential threats to objects and allow you to collaborate with others to put these into practice through the development of new methods and strategies to preserve collections.

The MA Preventive Conservation at the Ģ��Ƶ offers face-to-face teaching, tuition and mentoring in this fast-developing discipline. The degree is taught by in-house conservation and science specialists complemented by outside professionals with particular areas of expertise. While a strong emphasis is placed on the scientific underpinning of preventive conservation and the ethical frameworks used in decision making, students also acquire practical skills in identification of hazards to collections and the measurement of environmental parameters. The Conservation Department at the Ģ��Ƶ possesses cutting edge scientific equipment, allowing students to carry out imaging and analysis that helps them to understand the materials they will encounter in collections.

Students benefit from studying alongside peers on the well-established and highly regarded MA programmes in easels painting conservation and wall painting conservation. In addition, collaboration with the Ģ��Ƶ Gallery and with the department’s existing partners in the cultural heritage sector, all of whom who have day-to-day responsibility for the preventive care of collections, provides a setting for field trips and practical monitoring exercises, and potential topics for the end-of-programme project and dissertation.

Teaching and programme structure

Semester 1

The first semester focuses on a number of key areas that establish the theory and principles of preventive conservation and introduce the practical and intellectual skills needed by students. The programme begins by tracing the history of preventive conservation, its emergence as a discrete field of study and practice, the definition of the now well-established ‘agents of deterioration’ at the core of current practice and considering the ethical framework surrounding conservation decision-making.

Students are introduced to a broad range of historical materials found in collections and their interaction with the various agents of deterioration, including how scientific and technical study can inform this understanding. Topics covered will embrace photo-documentation, instrumental analytical methods, materials testing and chemical tests, and include guidance on selecting the appropriate techniques for a particular situation.

An emphasis is also placed on practical monitoring methods of monitoring deterioration processes and the agents of deterioration. Teaching will describe each agent, how it can be monitored and its impacts assessed. Assessment will include a monitoring exercise that familiarises students with different types of datalogger and the interpretation of the data produced.

Students will begin learning research skills to aid their preparation for subsequent modules and their final dissertation.

Semester 2

Teaching in the second semester strengthens students’ knowledge of preventive conservation theory and materials in cultural heritage objects and will move into applying this knowledge in situations likely to be encountered in future roles in the sector. The consideration of the principles and theory of preventive conservation will examine its interaction with interventive conservation treatments and look at how to commission and use expert advice and surveys. Emphasis will be placed on working with other professionals to establish priorities by assessing condition, value and significance, as a way to help develop policies and strategies.

Working together in small groups, students will conduct an environment survey project, using pre-existing environmental and condition data to consider a case study and offer their recommendations. A site visit helps to place taught elements in the context of a building and collection and highlights the practicalities of designing and implementing preventive conservation measures and monitoring programmes.

The development of research skills in the second semester will focus on helping students prepare a proposal for their MA dissertation project. Students will have a series of one-to-one tutorials to support their thesis research and writing, including a tutorial to review a draft submission.

Summer

In the Summer students work independently on their dissertation research to produce an 8000-word thesis. During their course students will also complete 100 hours of conservation volunteering at one or more heritage organisation. They will reflect on this experience in a short piece of writing for assessment and produce a short video or audio piece.

Teaching and Assessment

The teaching methods and types of assessments vary according to the content and objectives of each module within the programme.

Teaching consists of a combination of lectures, seminars, laboratory sessions, workshops, and site visits. In addition, students have timetabled meetings with tutors several times per term, to discuss progress and feedback from assessed work. Throughout the degree, students will be taught both by teaching staff in the department with specialisms in preventive conservation and conservation science and by professionals in the field, who bring a rich diversity of knowledge and experience to the programme.

Assessment consists of a range of methods to��ensure students develop and demonstrate different presentation and writing skills. Some modules are evaluated through essay or report writing, sometimes accompanied by an assessed group presentation. Reports from practical exercises also require students to interpret results and reflect upon their significance and consequence. The volunteering module will be assessed through a piece of reflective writing and a short audio/video piece to raise public awareness or engagement. The final assessment will be an 8000-word dissertation produced over the last months of the programme.

Programme outcomes

Upon completion of the MA Preventive Conservation, you will have:

A sound knowledge of underlying principles and practices in preventive conservation, the use of risk assessment to identify priorities and the ethical framework that surrounds decision making.
The ability to describe the chemical, physical and mechanical properties of materials encountered in collections and sites, their likely behaviour in response to their environment and methods to avoid, minimise or mitigate damage.
The knowledge and experience required to collect and analyse data in order to identify hazards to collections, and to plan and execute measurement programmes to detect and monitor environmental parameters in storage or display.
Practical experience of working as part of a team to design and execute preventive conservation measures and monitoring in the field.
Skills in communication, project management, risk management that allow you to be persuasive and effective when working with diverse stakeholders in your future careers.
Intellectual and practical skills that prepare you for working in a wide range of roles and contexts, or for further academic study.

Careers and employability

Preventive conservation is a growing field, focusing on preventing damage to objects and sites by mitigating agents of deterioration, rather than intervening once damage has occurred. Internationally and nationally, museums, galleries, libraries and other cultural institutions increasingly recognise the ethical and financial benefits of emphasising preventive care. Many of these organisations are creating preventive conservation roles or strengthening existing preventive conservation teams, creating a demand that outstrips the supply of professionally qualified preventive conservators.

The MA Preventive Conservation programme is designed to produce graduates who are prepared for a professional career in such roles, but it will also equip its students with highly transferable skills for a wide range of employment opportunities or further academic study.

This programme will suit students with an interest in preventive conservation, but no previous conservation training, who would like to work in museums, heritage institutions and sites. It will also be of interest to existing conservators who wish to acquire new skills in preventive conservation or professionals who wish to prepare themselves for a change of role or career.

Students from the programme will join an international network of Ģ��Ƶ alumni who work across the cultural sector and benefit from the friendships, support, and mentorship available within that community.

Entry requirements

UK qualifications: Successful applicants will normally hold a Bachelor’s degree in either Fine Art, History of Art, or the Natural Sciences, and have achieved a good 2.1.

Overseas qualifications: Equivalent to a good 2.1 in a UK first degree (e.g. US applicants should have a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or above). Country-specific qualifications can be found��here.

Interviews:��Online interviews will take place from early 2026.

Pre-Course Science: Students can apply to the course from either arts, humanities or science backgrounds, and all students will be asked to complete a pre-requisite online science course to prepare them for their studies.

English language requirements: If your first language is not English, we require proof of English language proficiency. If you are invited to the interview, it is recommended to submit your test results before the interview. If you are unable to do so, you will be asked to submit your test results no later than the acceptance deadline. Please see the English Language Requirements page.

Applications: Please see the How to Apply page for information.

Fees and funding

Information on tuition fees can be found here.

Financial support for your studies:

Postgraduate Master’s Loan: Please visit the Student Finance England website for further information and to apply online.

Ģ��Ƶ Institute of Art Scholarships: Every year the Ģ��Ƶ provides over £500,000 in MA scholarships, which are awarded on the basis of academic merits. The average postgraduate scholarship is £6,000. Applications are welcomed from Home, EU and Overseas students.

Alumni Loyalty Scheme: This scheme is open to any graduate of Ģ��Ƶ Art admitted to a taught postgraduate programme of study. Recipients will receive a 10% loyalty discount off their tuition fee for the duration of the course.

Further information about grants, and bursaries to support you during your studies at The Ģ��Ƶ can be found here.

Resources

The Conservation Department is equipped with extensive scientific laboratories and state-of-the-art facilities for the analysis of paintings and wall paintings. Both portable and bench-top equipment at the Department are available for teaching and research. The department houses major collections of easel painting samples, X-radiographs, wall painting fragments and wall painting samples from around the world, and the National Wall Painting Survey.

Students benefit from access to a wide range of research facilities at both the Institute and other parts of the University of London, as well as other major libraries nearby. Close collaboration with scientists and conservators in the national museums and heritage organisations offers further opportunities for training and research.

The Department is also closely linked with The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Centre for Buddhist Art and Conservation at the Ģ��Ƶ, and the specialist collection of literature on Asian art. Both the Conservation Department and the Ho Centre periodically hold conferences and public lectures in association with the Research Forum and museums and other institutions from outside The Ģ��Ƶ, and benefit from contributions by Visiting Conservators. The department also acts as a centre for conservation and art-historical advice to outside conservators, scholars and the public.

Support

To support you through the degree, we offer:

Wellbeing support: We have a dedicated Wellbeing team, with counsellors and advisors.

Academic skills training: The academic skills tutor offers group and one-to-one classes to help you to develop the skills and confidence you need to succeed on the degree. We also have two Royal Literary Fund fellows who will help you with your writing skills, concentrating on how to structure and improve your writing.

Careers advice: You can access bespoke, one-to-one career guidance throughout your studies. The Ģ��Ƶ Careers Service offers advice and support on exploring career and further study options, finding internships, enhancing employability, understanding and navigating the jobs and self-employment market, and making successful applications. This service is available to all graduates for up to two years after graduation.

Accessibility

The Conservation Teaching studios are in the West Wing of Somerset House, access to which is via the access-controlled doors on the Upper Terrace. For those not in possession of an Access/ID card there is an intercom connected to our 24/7 staff security control room. There is a temporary access ramp providing access into the West Wing which may not necessarily be suitable for use by, for example, wheelchair users. Thus, for those requiring level access into the Conservation Studios this can be facilitated via our main Gallery entrance between the hours of 10:00 and 18:00. The Conservation Department is located across five floors, Lower Ground Floor through to the Third Floor. The main access to each of the floors is via a staircase which is 90cm wide. There is within the department a lift which services the Lower Ground to Second Floors of the department. Access to the third floor, which houses the analytical laboratory, is via the staircase only.

Some teaching as well as the Library is at our Vernon Square premises near King’s Cross. The Vernon Square premises are fully accessible, with two internal lifts servicing all floors. There is level access throughout the premises and thus into and out of all internal rooms. Access from the street into the premises is not level and there is small incline from street to the main entrance doors. There is ramped access into the premises. The main entrance doors into the premises operate automatically.

Programme leader

Clare Richardson, FIIC

Head of Conservation

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ORLAN’s Striptease: All about my Life, All about my Art

Grace Williams — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 14:22:40 +0000

This event is now fully booked. Should you need any assistance with your booking, please email��researchforum@courtauld.ac.uk

ORLAN, always written in capital letters, is a contemporary artist and feminist with an international reputation. Her highly publicised performances address contemporary issues by examining social phenomena with a critical eye. As an artist she is not bound by any mode of expression, technique or technology, old or new. ORLAN explores the status of the body, particularly that of women, questioning all traditional, political, social, and religious pressures. She fights in her life and work to break down the barriers between genders, sexes, and artistic practices.

She returns to London and to the Ģ��Ƶ Institute, interrupting her international trajectory of exhibitions, ranging from Saint-Etienne in France (her home town), Art Paris, Art Brussels, MUDEC photo, Milan and Freijo Gallery, Madrid to Osaka, Japan or POMA Museum, Pohang in�� Korea

Sarah Wilson is Professor of Modern and Contemporary Art at The Ģ��Ƶ. She introduced performance art studies to the Ģ��Ƶ curriculum, and produced texts on ORLAN in 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2010. Co-curator of Paris, Capital of the Arts, 1900-1968�� (Royal Academy London, 2002), she published The Visual World of French Theory, vol. 1, Figurations in 2010 (French, 2018), and��Picasso, Marx and socialist realism in France, 2013. She won the international AICA Critics prize in 2015.

Organised by Professor Sarah Wilson, The Ģ��Ƶ, with additional support from the Institut français du Royaume-Uni.

Portrait of ORLAN. Copyright: Joel Saget / AFP

ORLAN’s Striptease: All about my Life, All about my Art appeared first on The Ģ��Ƶ.

Members’ Afternoon Preview of Wayne Thiebaud

Lynne Arnold — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 10:52:21 +0000

Thu 9 Oct 2025, 14.00 – 18.00

Join our members’ afternoon preview of The Griffin Catalyst Exhibition: Wayne Thiebaud. American Still Life.

The first ever UK museum show devoted to the work of Wayne Thiebaud (1920–2021), now considered to be one of the greatest and most original American artists of the 20th century.

This exhibition will present Thiebaud’s remarkable, vibrant and lushly painted still-lifes of quintessentially post-war American subjects, from diner food and deli counters to gumball dispensers and pinball machines. These are the paintings with which Thiebaud made his name in the USA in the early 1960s.

Free for Ģ��Ƶ Friends

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