The Courtauld has announced a major new gift from the Blavatnik Family Foundation, bringing the Foundation’s total support for the institution to £20 million and enabling the creation of two new galleries dedicated to contemporary art. The Blavatnik Contemporary Galleries are expected to open in 2029 as part of the Courtauld’s developing new campus at Somerset House.
The £10 million gift builds on a long-standing relationship between the Foundation and the Courtauld. It follows the opening of the Blavatnik Fine Rooms in 2021 and will also support the creation of the Blavatnik Reading Room within the remodelled Courtauld library. Together, these developments form a significant expansion of the institution’s physical and intellectual infrastructure.
“My family and I have taken great pride in our association with the Courtauld over the past decade. It has been a privilege to play a leading role in shaping the Gallery’s future. We congratulate all involved and look forward to many more years of close collaboration.”
Sir Leonard Blavatnik,
Located on the top floor of Somerset House’s North Wing, the two new galleries will occupy a historic space originally designed in the 18th century as a display room for the Royal Society. A dedicated public entrance opposite the main Gallery entrance will provide full access via the East Wing staircase, integrating the new galleries into the wider Somerset House site.
The Blavatnik Contemporary Galleries will support a programme of exhibitions, commissions and events, creating a distinct platform for engaging with contemporary art at the Courtauld. The spaces are intended to foster close collaboration with artists, encourage experimentation, and offer new perspectives on current artistic practice.
“The new galleries will be a site of possibilities for artists to present exceptional artworks. These new spaces will help us connect past and present art and ideas, engage students and bring living artists to the core of our activities.”
Elena Crippa, Senior Curator of Contemporary Art: Exhibitions and Projects at the Courtauld
Since the reopening of its Gallery in 2021, the Courtauld has steadily expanded its contemporary programme. Recent highlights include exhibitions of Peter Doig and Claudette Johnson, a major commission by Cecily Brown, and the launch of an annual commission for The John Browne Entrance Hall, inaugurated in 2025 with new works by Rachel Jones. The first European solo exhibition of New York–based painter Salman Toor will open in October 2026.
The new galleries will also play an important role in teaching and research. Students on the Courtauld Institute’s MA in Curating will be closely involved in shaping and delivering the programme, positioning the galleries as a site of collective learning as well as public display.
The Blavatnik Contemporary Galleries form part of the wider Courtauld Campus project at Somerset House, supported by the Reuben Foundation and other philanthropists. Designed by Witherford Watson Mann in collaboration with Purcell and Lawson Ward Studios, the project will reunite the Gallery, Institute and conservation studios under one roof, strengthening the Courtauld’s position as a leading global centre for the study and presentation of art — historic and contemporary alike.
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