Courtauld and National Portrait Gallery Launch Joint Curating Module for 2027
In September 2026, the Courtauld Institute of Art teamed up with the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) to enhance the Courtauld’s MA in Curating by adding practical museum experiences. The first group of students will start in 2027, and the NPG module, titled Working within Institutions, is set to kick off in spring 2028. This elective course will run for 12 weeks and will be co-taught by NPG experts and Courtauld faculty, including 12 of the 48 students enrolled. Mark Hallett emphasized the importance of hands-on experience in curatorial studies, while Victoria Siddall shared hopes for enriching opportunities for students. This collaboration follows the NPG’s renovation in 2023 and ongoing updates at Courtauld since 2018, overseen by Devika Singh and Sofia Gotti.
Key facts
- The Courtauld Institute of Art and the National Portrait Gallery announced a partnership in September 2026.
- The partnership will form part of the Courtauld’s MA Curating programme, with first students joining in 2027 and taking the NPG module in spring 2028.
- The 12-week elective, Working within Institutions, will be available to 12 of the programme’s 48 students.
- The module will be co-taught by NPG professionals and Courtauld faculty.
- Students will work with the gallery’s archives and examine collection conservation, management, expansion and display.
- The module will also explore major exhibition development, learning programmes, audience engagement and access.
- Mark Hallett is director of the Courtauld; Victoria Siddall is director of the National Portrait Gallery.
- The partnership comes three years after the NPG reopened following a major redevelopment.
- The Courtauld is redeveloping its Somerset House campus on the Strand, closed to students since 2018.
- The MA Curating programme is led by Devika Singh and Sofia Gotti and is taught at the Courtauld’s Vernon Square campus near Kings Cross.
Entities
Artists
- Mark Hallett
- Victoria Siddall
- Devika Singh
- Sofia Gotti
Institutions
- Courtauld Institute of Art
- National Portrait Gallery
- The Art Newspaper
- Tate Modern
- Paris Photo
- Venice Biennale
- Frieze Masters
- Courtauld Institute
- Courtauld Gallery
- Nicoletta Fiorucci Foundation
- St Mary le Strand
- Strawberry Hill House & Garden
- Freud Museum
- Tate
- Guggenheim
- National Gallery
- National Gallery of Art
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Somerset House
- Strand
- Vernon Square
- Kings Cross
- Paris
- France
- Venice
- Italy
- Washington DC
- United States