The Courtauld Gallery Masterpieces [antikvár]

Foreword The Courtauld Institute of Art is a unique institution not just in Britain but also in the world. Founded 75 years ago as a result of the inspiration of three far-sighted individuals, textile magnate Samuel Courtauld, civil servant and politician Arthur, Lord Lee of Fareham, and lawyer Sir Robert Witt, the Courtauld has gone from strength to strength. Initially set up in Home House, the former home of Samuel Courtauld, the Courtauld Institute of Art was the beneficiary also of many of the great masterpieces that he had collected in the 1920s. These works were both an inspiration and a focus of study for faculty and students. It is perhaps not surprising that with this passionate purpose the Courtauld Institute has continued to attract collections of great significance since those early days. In 2002, in order to be free to determine its own future, the Courtauld became a self-governing college of the University of London, the smallest of the distinguished group that makes up the University. There are some 400 students studying art history, conservation and museum curatorship at the Courtauld at any one time - at undergraduate, graduate diploma, MA and PhD level. With a faculty of over 30 it is the largest such institution in the UK, and one of the most significant centres of teaching and research in art history and conservation internationally. Our distinguished alumni head national museums and galleries, university art history faculties, conservation departments and commercial galleries and auction houses around the world. But the key to our unique position is the Gallery and the world-class collection of art that we are privileged to have at our heart - a 'collection of collections' brought together as a key element in the original conception of what an Institute of this sort should be. Our founding fathers were enUghtened in their views - demanding in their concern for the very best of scholarship, but fundamentally humane in their wish that the works of art and the scholarship required for their best understanding be readily accessible to the widest audience possible. Today we embrace the same ideals, and I am delighted that this handsome book will encourage further enjoyment of our Gallery and its collections. Deborah Swallow Marit Rausing Director Courtauld Institute of Art