Courtauld To Open Contemporary Art Galleries with Blavatnik Gift

London’s Courtauld Gallery, home to a legendary collection including works by artists such as Manet and Van Gogh, is to open two new galleries dedicated to contemporary art at the museum’s recently refurbished Somerset House campus. The galleries will be built with a £10 million ($13.8 million) donation from the Blavatnik Family Foundation. This brings the foundation’s recent total support to £20 million ($27.5 million). The top gallery was designed in the 18th century as a display space for the Royal Society and is expected to open in 2029.

“Sir Leonard and Dame Emily Blavatnik have been fundamental supporters of the Courtauld Gallery for many years and we are delighted that they share our excitement about our expanded engagement with contemporary art,” Mark Hallett, director of the Courtauld Gallery, said in a statement. The foundation has long supported the institution and in 2021 named the Blavatnik Fine rooms after the family.

The Courtauld Casino reopens in 2021 after a $28.4 million refurbishment that took three years and was funded by the Blavatnik family and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Art Network News Calling it “London’s most anticipated opening in decades”.

“My family and I are extremely proud of our association with the Courtauld over the past decade,” said Leonard Blavatnik. “It is an honor to play a leading role in shaping the gallery’s future.” May 2025 sunday times On Britain’s richest list, Ukrainian-born Blavatnik ranks third with a fortune of 25.73 billion pounds ($35.46 billion). according to new york timeswho “made his money in the chaos of Russia’s commodities privatization in the 1990s and now owns properties such as Warner Music Group.”

Blavatnik has spread his wealth widely through his self-funded foundation, which also supports institutions such as the Tate Modern and London’s National Portrait Gallery. In the United States, he funded Harvard Medical School and other institutions.

The Courtauld Collection spans the Middle Ages to the present day and includes works by Sandro Botticelli, Paul Cézanne, Oscar Kokoschka, Édouard Manet, Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Peter Paul Rubens and Vincent van Gogh. Hanging in a gallery are three paintings familiar from around the world: Manet’s Bars in Folies-Bergère (1882), by Cézanne card player (1839-1906), and Van Gogh’s Self-portrait with bandaged ear (1889).

“The new gallery will provide artists with a venue to showcase outstanding works of art,” said Elena Crippa, senior curator of contemporary art exhibitions and programs. “These new spaces will help us connect art and ideas from the past and present, engage students and bring living artists into the heart of our activities.”

Recently, the Courtauld has hosted exhibitions of contemporary artists including Peter Doig and Claudette Johnson, and commissioned a large-scale work by Cecily Brown. This follows a complete renovation of the gallery in 2021 by architect Witherford Watson Mann. Courtauld will hold its first European solo exhibition for renowned artist Salman Toor in October. Students on the Courtauld Master of Curatorial course will play an important role in the planning of the new gallery.

Blavatnik’s donation follows the largest donation in the museum’s 93-year history. In October, the institution received a 30 million pound ($40 million) donation from the Reuben Foundation, set up by billionaire brothers and property tycoons David and Simon Reuben.