Welcome
Based in London’s Bedford Square, the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art is an educational charity and research institute that champions new ways of understanding British art history and culture.
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linkNews
Senior Research Fellow Hammad Nasar Awarded MBE
Our Senior Research Fellow and co-curator of the British Art Show 9 (2021-22) Hammad Nasar has received an MBE (Mem
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linkNews
Write on Art 2023 is Now Open
Art UK and the Paul Mellon Centre are pleased to announce the launch of the 2023 cycle of Write on Art. The prize is now
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Climate & Colonialism
Introducing the Climate & Colonialism research project. With an upcoming conference and reading group there are many ways to get involved. Join us for the Synthetic Histories conference on 27 January 2023.
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linkProject Description
The Climate & Colonialism project works towards new and interdisciplinary understandings of visual and material culture produced around and in response to the interrelated and enduring histories of colonialism, capitalism and climate change.
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linkSynthetic Histories: Plastics, Climate and Colonialism
Bringing together thinking from V&A Dundee's latest exhibition, 'Plastic: Remaking our World' and the Paul Mellon Centre's multi-year project, Climate & Colonialism, this symposium explores the complex past, problematic present and possible futures of plastic.
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linkThe Climate & Colonialism Reading Group
An interdisciplinary Reading Group on the role of the arts and visual cultures in discourses around climate and colonialism.
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linkAstrida Neimanis Announced as Visiting Scholar
In February 2023, the Climate & Colonialism research project at the Paul Mellon Centre will welcome Professor Astrida Neimanis as a visiting scholar.
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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linkUntil 5 May 2023
Display
An Activist Scholar: The Gavin Stamp Archive
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link6 February 2023
ECRN Events
ECRN Research Roundtable: Funding
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link8 February 2023
Research Seminar
**DATE CHANGE** Cinema and Empire: Technologies and Practices
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link10 February 2023
Research Lunch
Pythagorean Visions: Picturing Harmony in British Art, 1719–1753
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See More Events
Read about all upcoming events, including lectures, film screenings, parties and more.
Journeys with 'The Waste Land', Turner Contemporary
Supported by a Curatorial Research Grant from the PMC.
Grants & Fellowships
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.
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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linkAccess our Archives & Library Collections
Visit our Public Study Room, make an enquiry, request digital copies, or 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 now digitised.
Learning
Our aim is to make British art history and visual culture accessible to people of all ages by encouraging thought-provoking engagement with artworks and art historical research. We want people to think about how they ‘see’; and foster a sense of shared interest and community.
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linkYale in London
A study abroad programme for Yale students.
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linkPublic Lecture Course
Introducing innovative research in British art history to the public.
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linkWrite on Art
A writing competition to inspire tomorrow's art historians.
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linkGraduate Summer School
A lively twelve-day programme of workshops, discussions and encounters with historical archives and contemporary practice.
Networks
Our networks connect and support researchers and professionals engaging with British art, at different stages of their working lives.
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linkBritish Art Network
A network for curators, sharing expertise, research and ideas on British art.
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linkDoctoral Researchers Network
A supportive group of PhD students, offering academic and professional training.
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linkEarly Career Researchers Network
A supportive peer-to-peer network of people working to establish careers as researchers in British art.
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linkSupporting Emerging Researchers and Professionals
We also run competitions and events such as British Art in Motion and the Art Trade Seminar.
Research Projects
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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linkClimate & Colonialism
A multi-year project aiming to provide a testing ground for transhistorical conversations.
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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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linkThe Royal Academy Summer Exhibition: A Chronicle, 1769–2018
A major online publication celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Royal Academy of Arts.