Courtauld Institute

When the Royal Academy was founded in 1768, its members included two women, yet there would not be another female academician until Dame Laura Knight was elected in 1936. Despite this institutional exclusion, women artists in Britain continued to train, practice and exhibit during this period, particularly in the field of landscape watercolours. The Courtauld Gallery’s upcoming exhibition seeks to bring to light some of these women artists. Focussing on 1760-1860, the showcase will take you through the work of 10 artists over 100 years of landscape drawings and watercolours including some of the first ever depictions of the ethereal Lake District. 

Between 1885 and 1890, OG Neo-Impressionist Georges Seurat spent five summers observing the port towns along the northern coast of France, capturing impressive seascapes, regattas and other oceanic activities. Twenty three of these paintings, oil sketches and drawings are to be showcased at the Courtauld from February next year, offering a nautical insight into this elusive French artist. The exhibition will borrow works from world-class galleries including MOMA and the Musée d’Orsay, making it even more worth the peek.

Have you ever wanted to see how a legendary gallery like the Courtauld conserves centuries-old artefacts? Now, you can. Longthorpe Tower’s fourteenth-century medieval wall paintings were once described by English archaeologist E Clive Rouse as the ‘most important domestic mural paintings of the medieval period in England’ due to their rare mixture of secular and religious themes. Now there’s a chance to see the conservation of ye olde masterpiece in action at the Courtauld's upcoming display, which will provide invaluable insight into the role of the Courtauld's Conservation Department in safeguarding one of the UK’s most remarkable medieval wall paintings.