Welcome
Based in London’s Bedford Square, the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art is an educational charity that champions new ways of understanding British art history and culture.
Events
We run a thriving programme of events both in person and online. These events are geared to scholars, students and all those with a general interest in British art. They offer you the chance to engage with an extraordinary variety of topics, ideas and thinkers.
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link29 January 2021
Research Lunch
Accommodating the Picturesque: The Country Houses of James Wyatt, John Nash and Sir John Soane, 1793–1815
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link5 February 2021
Research Lunch
Bankside, Britain, Global, Public; the Turbine Hall Series in Tate Modern
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link10 February 2021
Lecture
French Art and Scotch Ideas: The Scottish Enlightenment and The Dawn of Modernity in French Art
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link19 February 2021
Research Lunch
Disorienting the Gaze: Ngozi Onwurah’s Early Films
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See More Events
Read about all upcoming events, including lectures, film screenings, parties and more.
Archives & Library
Visit our Public Study Room where you can explore our rich library and archival holdings. See below for how to make an appointment and search our catalogues.
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linkArchive Collections
The papers of art historians, museum directors, curators, dealers, art critics, collectors and others working on the history of British art and architecture.
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linkLibrary Collections
More than 26,000 books, pamphlets, exhibition catalogues and theses available for reference.
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linkPhoto Archive Collections
More than 100,000 reference photographs of British paintings, decorative painting, sculpture, drawings and prints are in the process of being digitised.
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Book an Appointment
Arrange to visit our Public Study Room, or use our remote enquiry service.
Publications
We publish world-class monographs and catalogues on an ever-expanding range of topics, alongside a host of innovative digital publications, including our prize-winning journal British Art Studies.
Journeys with 'The Waste Land', Turner Contemporary
Supported by a Curatorial Research Grant from the PMC.
Grants & Fellowships
Research
We are committed not only to supporting the most original kinds of research on British art and architecture, but also to producing and shaping it ourselves. View a selection of our in-house research projects below.
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linkLondon, Asia
Considering London as a key yet under-explored site in the construction of art historical narratives in Asia, this project is working towards a more expanded and diverse narrative of British art.
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linkArt & the Country House
Explore the collection and display of art in eight country houses around Britain.
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linkSculpting Lives
A podcast series exploring the artworks, networks, connections and relationships of women sculptors.
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linkThe Royal Academy Summer Exhibition: A Chronicle, 1769–2018
A major online publication celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Royal Academy of Arts.