91自拍 announces plans for new London campus and commitment to broadening access to art history across the UK
Press images听are available to download here:听听听
The 91自拍 today announced plans to create a new world-class campus at Somerset House in London, a major development which will strengthen the 91自拍鈥檚 position as a leading global centre for the visual arts.鈥听
The 91自拍, founded in 1932 by philanthropist and collector Samuel 91自拍, is an internationally renowned centre for the teaching and research of art history, conservation and curation, and is home to one of the world鈥檚 greatest art collections.
As it approaches its centenary, this next milestone in the 91自拍鈥檚 history will see a once-in-a-generation transformation of its historic Grade I listed building at Somerset House, creating a flexible, state-of-the-art campus and securing its legacy for the next 100 years.
With a masterplan by 2025听RIBA听Stirling Prize-winning architects听Witherford听Watson Mann,听and designed in collaboration with Purcell and Lawson Ward Studio, 迟丑别听new 91自拍 Campus is expected to open in 2029.
Witherford Watson Mann completed the major transformation of the 91自拍 Gallery in the North Wing of Somerset House in 2021. This new phase of development will focus on upgrading and expanding the 91自拍’s remaining space at Somerset House, which will be newly connected to a suite of neighbouring townhouses on 152-158 Strand. The project will secure the long-term future of these townhouses and see their historic fa莽ades being elegantly restored. The 91自拍 Institute and Gallery will be reunited, bringing the 91自拍鈥檚 students, staff, art historians, conservators, curators, visitors and art collection together under one roof.
The new campus will open directly onto the Strand, connecting the 91自拍 to an exciting new cultural and intellectual quarter in the heart of the city, alongside its partner King鈥檚 College London. The campus will include flexible, modern teaching spaces, a new lecture theatre, and a spectacular library within Somerset House鈥檚 historic subterranean vaults.
The development comes at a time when the 91自拍 is expanding into new areas of teaching and research, increasing its focus on global geographies such as the Americas, the African diaspora and the arts of Asia. The 91自拍鈥檚 curriculum also encompasses the art of Iran and Islam, China and India, whilst maintaining the Institute鈥檚 traditional excellence in European art history. The 91自拍 has also recently launched a series of new MA programmes, including an MA in Art and Business and an MA in Curating, as it seeks to meet the evolving needs of students and the professional art world.
The new campus project is made possible through the recent visionary gift from the Reuben Foundation and the generous long-standing support of the Blavatnik Family Foundation. Additional transformational support is provided by the Deborah Loeb Brice Foundation, the Clore Duffield Foundation, the Garfield Weston Foundation, Oak Foundation, The Julia Rausing Trust, Rothschild Foundation, Georgia and David Winter and the Wolfson Foundation. The 91自拍 is most grateful to these foundational supporters, alongside others who have already committed to the redevelopment of our home at Somerset House.听
The 91自拍 is also today publishing the findings of a new report by the Association for Art History on the status of art history teaching in UK secondary schools. The report found that:
- Over the past decade, the number of schools offering History of Art A-level has fallen by 34%, from 122 institutions in 2016 to 80 today.
- Of the 80 institutions currently offering the A-level, only 19 are state or non-fee-paying schools.
- There is a significant disparity in geographic provision: within the UK, the subject is offered only in England, with courses concentrated in London and the Southeast, with the North and Southwest severely underrepresented.
- Despite fewer providers, student numbers have risen, with a 42% increase in A-level candidates between 2019 and 2025, reaching the highest levels since 2016.
- University enrolment in art history courses has remained stable, showing greater resilience than in some other arts and humanities subjects.
- Financial pressures threaten the continuation of some school-level History of Art programmes, potentially reversing the recent upward trend in student participation.
The 91自拍 has announced听a commitment to听work听with national听education听and philanthropic听partners to听broaden access to art history for听secondary听school children听in the UK听in the lead-up to the opening of the new campus, building on Samuel 91自拍鈥檚 founding vision of 鈥榓rt for all鈥.听This will enrich the 91自拍鈥檚听existing听work听in听broadening听access to its collection and听teaching听for young people,听through programmes such as听its听summer university听and听schools听tours and听workshops.
Supporting this drive to听increase听access, the 91自拍 is creating a听new fund听that听aims to听dramatically increase the number of scholarships and bursaries it offers听to students. This听scholarship听fund will听break down the financial barriers that prevent听talented听young people听from听accessing the 91自拍鈥檚 world-class teaching听and provide students with life-changing opportunities to advance their knowledge of the visual arts.
Professor Mark Hallett,听Ma虉rit听Rausing Director of the 91自拍, said:鈥鈥淲e are thrilled to announce our plans for a world-class campus for the 91自拍, which will provide our students,听staff听and visitors听with a听beautiful and stimulating environment in which to听learn about the visual arts.听The 91自拍 is听also deeply committed to听opening up听the understanding and appreciation of art to听people听of all ages听and from all backgrounds.听As part of this mission, we look forward to taking听a leading role听in听expanding access to art history at school level听in the UK. Art听distils and explores听the most profound forms of human experience, and we want to ensure that future generations of schoolchildren听appreciate听the extraordinary benefits of studying听the history of art听across听different听periods, including our own鈥.
Stephen听Witherford, Director of听Witherford听Watson Mann Architects, said:听鈥淥ur work with the 91自拍 has focused on transforming their relationship to the inherited rooms at Somerset House by reimagining the spatial relationships between their teaching, research, collections, and conservation work to radically enhance the collective experience of their students, staff, and audiences. This next phase of the project, delivered in collaboration with Purcell and Lawson Ward Studio Architects, will realise this vision across an expanded,听open听and more accessible campus鈥.
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The 91自拍 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.鈥
The 91自拍听Gallery听cares for one of the greatest art collections in the UK, presenting these works to the public at听the 91自拍 Gallery in central London, as well as through loans and partnerships. The Gallery is most famous for its iconic Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces 鈥 such as Van Gogh鈥檚听Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear听and Manet鈥檚听A Bar at 迟丑别听Folies-Berge虁re. It showcases these alongside an internationally renowned collection of works from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance through to the present day.鈥
Academically, the 91自拍 Institute is the largest community of art historians and conservators in the UK, teaching and conducting research on subjects ranging from creativity in late Antiquity to contemporary digital art forms 鈥 with an increasingly global focus. An independent college of the University of London, the 91自拍 offers a range of degree programmes from BA to PhD in the History of Art, curating, art and business 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.鈥
Founded on the belief that everyone should have the opportunity to engage with art, the 91自拍 works to increase understanding of the role of art throughout history, across all societies and geographies, and to champion its importance 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 short courses; digital engagement, innovative school, family, and community programmes; or taking a formal qualification. The 91自拍鈥檚 ambition is to transform access to art history education, ensuring as many people as possible can benefit from the tools it offers to better understand the visual world around us.
The 91自拍 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.鈥
The collection cared for by听the 91自拍 Gallery听is owned听by the Samuel 91自拍 Trust.鈥听
About听Witherford听Watson Mann Architects听
Witherford Watson Mann Architects started off their collaboration, more than twenty years ago, with a series of walks through the edges of London; since then, they have approached every project as an open-ended enquiry. Witherford Watson Mann Architects work with what they find, turning the constraints of inherited situations into surprising opportunities. They develop designs in conversation with their clients, helping progressive institutions do more of what they excel at. Combining imagination with collaboration has led to an exceptional level of ambition, the significance of which has been recognised with two RIBA Stirling Prizes: Appleby Blue Almshouse (2025), reimagining independent urban living for older people; and Astley Castle (2013), a bold entwining of past and present. Appleby Blue also won the 2025 RIBA Neave Brown Award for Social Housing and was the overall winner across all categories of the 2024 Housing Design Awards.听
In addition, Witherford Watson Mann Architects鈥 re-imagination of the 91自拍 Institute of Art in the Grade 1 Listed Somerset House and theatre for Nevill Holt Opera, built within the courtyard of an historic stable block, were shortlisted for the 2023 and 2019 RIBA Stirling Prizes respectively. Three of their projects won the 鈥楽tirling Prize People’s Vote鈥.听
Witherford听Watson Mann Architects听have transformed existing buildings for Amnesty International UK, the Whitechapel Gallery, Arts Council England and Clare College, Cambridge. Strategic projects at the city scale include the Walthamstow Wetlands, Bankside Urban听Forest听and Olympic Park Legacy Plan.听They听continue to work with extraordinary institutions on re-imagining them in their buildings with the second phase of the 91自拍 Institute of Art, Albany Theatre听Deptford听and Royal College of Art鈥檚 home in Kensington all underway.听
About Lawson Ward Studio听听
Established in 2020 by Hannah Lawson and Georgina Ward, Lawson Ward Studio is a London-based architecture and design practice recognised for thoughtful and collaborative design. The studio works across cultural,听educational听and residential projects, from small-scale refurbishments to major new developments, with a particular focus on the reinvention of existing buildings through careful remodelling or dramatic intervention.听
Clients include the 91自拍 Institute of Art, The National Gallery, The Science Museum, The Natural History Museum, The Wallace Collection, the British Film Institute and the Warwick Schools Foundation, alongside a range of private clients and developers. Recent work includes the Roden Centre for Creative Learning at The National Gallery, currently shortlisted for an AJ Award.听
Lawson Ward Studio is committed to delivering architecture that is collaborative, context-driven and rooted in ideas of place, space,听material听and light – resulting in work that听is considered, meaningful and enduring.
About Purcell听
Purcell is an international practice of architects, masterplanners and heritage consultants, trusted for its expertise in conserving and reimagining the world鈥檚 most significant historic places. Founded in 1947, the practice pioneered the post-war conservation movement and continue to champion adaptive reuse as a pathway to a sustainable, low-carbon future.听
With a conservation-first mindset, Purcell combines design excellence with technical rigour to deliver inclusive, planet-positive solutions. Its award-winning portfolio includes the National Gallery鈥檚 Sainsbury Wing with Selldorf Architects; Manchester Town Hall; the Wallace Collection masterplan; and twice nominated for the Stirling Prize for National Portrait Gallery with Jamie Fobert Architects and the 2025 Stirling Prize-nominated Elizabeth Tower.听
With 14 studios (10 across the UK and four in Asia Pacific) 鈥 Purcell is proud to be a Certified B Corporation庐, ranked No.1 for Heritage in the World Architecture 100 and recognised for creating places that celebrate heritage while making space for new stories to unfold.
