The Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art is a scholarly centre in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

devoted to supporting original research into the history of

British Art The Art of the United Kingdom refers to all forms of visual art in or associated with the United Kingdom since the formation of the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707 and encompasses English art, Scottish art, Welsh art and Irish art, and forms ...

. It was founded in 1970 and endowed by a gift from

Paul Mellon Paul Mellon (June 11, 1907 – February 1, 1999) was an American philanthropist and an owner/breeder of thoroughbred racehorses. He is one of only five people ever designated an "Exemplar of Racing" by the National Museum of Racing and Hall ...

. Since 1996, it has been situated at 16

Bedford Square Bedford Square is a garden square in the Bloomsbury district of the Borough of Camden in London, England. History Built between 1775 and 1783 as an upper middle class residential area, the square has had many distinguished residents, inclu ...

in a Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. This building houses an outstanding library of 26,000 publications focused on British art and architecture, and over 25 collected archives which include papers of eminent art historians such as Ellis K. Waterhouse,

Oliver Millar Sir Oliver Nicholas Millar (26 April 1923 – 10 May 2007) was a British art historian. He was an expert on 17th-century British painting, and a leading authority on Anthony van Dyck in particular. He served in the Royal Household for 41 year ...

Brian Sewell Brian Alfred Christopher Bushell Sewell (; 15 July 1931 – 19 September 2015) was an English art critic. He wrote for the ''Evening Standard'' and had an acerbic view of conceptual art and the Turner Prize. ''The Guardian'' described him as " ...

and

Brinsley Ford Sir Richard Brinsley Ford (10 June 1908 – 4 May 1999) was a British art historian, scholar, and collector. He inherited a large collection of art from his family and was himself an avid collector. A drawing that he purchased in 1936 was sold ...

. It also holds the records of its own institutional archives, including a growing oral history collection. The centre compiled its own photographic archive from 1970 to 1996 and now also holds the Tate photographic archive. All of these research collections are available to consult in the centre's Public Study Room. As well as being incorporated as a British educational charity, the centre is part of

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

and provides teaching in London for Yale students, through the successful Yale-in-London scheme. The centre supports a publication programme through

Yale University Press Yale University Press is the university press of Yale University. It was founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day, and became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but it remains financially and operationally autonomous. , Yale Universi ...

and co-ordinates its activities with the sister institution, the

Yale Center for British Art Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the worl ...

New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

. The centre administers a comprehensive programme of grants and fellowships designed to support research into the history of British art, and hosts workshops, symposia, conferences and regular series of seminars. The centre is a

registered charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ch ...

under English law and is a member of the Association of Research Institutes in Art History.

Publications

The Paul Mellon Centre underwrites the production costs of publications concerned with the study of British art and architecture. The books are distributed by

. In 2015 the centre launched an online and

open access Open access (OA) is a set of principles and a range of practices through which research outputs are distributed online, free of access charges or other barriers. With open access strictly defined (according to the 2001 definition), or libre op ...

journal, British Art Studies, that is copublished with the

. The centre published an online catalogue raisonné of the artist Richard Wilson to coincide with the tercentenary of the artist's birth. In 2016, the centre published another catalogue raisonné of the artist Francis Towne. In March 2019, the Paul Mellon Centre's open access, peer-reviewed digital publication
The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition: A Chronicle, 1769-2018
' was nominated for a

Webby Award The Webby Awards are awards for excellence on the Internet presented annually by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a judging body composed of over two thousand industry experts and technology innovators. Categories include ...

and won the People's Vote award in the art website category.

Directors

Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, 16 Bedford Square

References

News articles

New York Times Article An Anglophilic Yankee Aristocrat and His Finds Across the Pond

External links

* ttp://www.paul-mellon-centre.ac.uk Official website* ttp://www.richardwilsononline.ac.uk Richard Wilson Onlinecatalogue raisonné
British Art Studies online journalThe Royal Academy Summer Exhibition: A Chronicle, 1769–2018Francis Towne Online
catalogue raisonné
Library & Photographic Archives CatalogueArchive Catalogue
{{Authority control Archives in the London Borough of Camden Visual arts publishing companies British art Education in the London Borough of Camden 1970 establishments in the United Kingdom Arts organisations based in the United Kingdom Charities based in London