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A new display,ÌýModern Painting from the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ and ReubenÌýCollections, made possible by the long-term partnership between the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ and the Reuben Foundation, will open at the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Gallery onÌý18 September 2026.Ìý
Featuring outstanding works by Cezanne, Modigliani, Léger, Picasso, and Magritte, the display explores radicalÌýnew approachesÌýto painting in the first half of the 20th century.ÌýÌýÌý
The ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½â€™s partnership with the Reuben Foundation,Ìýlaunched in 2025,Ìýenables worksÌýof artÌýfrom the ReubenÌýCollectionÌýtoÌýbe made available to the publicÌýas part of the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Gallery’sÌýdisplays. ItÌýallows ³Ù³ó±ðÌýGallery to extend its celebratedÌýpresentationÌýof Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art into the modern period.Ìý
In October 2025, the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ announced the largest financial gift in its history from the Reuben Foundation,Ìýechoing the extraordinary philanthropy of the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½â€™s founder, Samuel ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½. The FoundationÌýisÌýsupporting the developmentÌýofÌýthe ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½â€™s new Strand campus,Ìýwhich, when it opens in 2029, willÌýbeÌýone ofÌý³Ù³ó±ðÌýworld’sÌýmost important centresÌýfor the study ofÌý³Ù³ó±ðÌýhistory of art.ÌýÌý
Modern Painting from the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ and Reuben CollectionsÌýbegins with early 20th century paintings from the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½,Ìýincluding PaulÌý°äé³ú²¹²Ô²Ô±ð’sÌýTurning RoadÌý(1905), a landscape conjured through near-abstract patches ofÌýcolour, and Amedeo Modigliani’sÌýNudeÌý(c.1916), a radically direct and expressive painting that upended conventional approaches to the subject of the female nude. These set the stage for works from the Reuben Collection by painters who built on such innovations to chart new artistic directions.Ìý
Major Cubist works by Juan Gris and Fernand Léger from 1914-1918, a period of significant avant-garde experimentation in Europe, tookÌý°äé³ú²¹²Ô²Ô±ð’sÌýpatchwork of brushstrokes to new extremes. They broke the illusion of representational painting by depicting their subjects as fragmented parts,Ìýseemingly stillÌýin the process of beingÌýformed. A highlight of this area of the display is Man Ray’s monumentalÌýBlack Widow (Nativity), painted in New York in 1915, and lastÌýexhibitedÌýin the UK more than fifty years ago. Although celebrated asÌýaÌýmodernist photographer, Man Ray began his career as a painter. With this, one of his most significant early works, he created an epic modern figure painting out of Cubism and painted collage.Ìý
A group of three paintings by Pablo Picasso from the period of the Second World WarÌýdemonstrateÌýthe artist’s continual reinvention of the traditions of painting. Picasso’s two portraits of his partners,ÌýMarie-Thérèse Walter, 1937, and the photographerÌýDora Maar, 1939, neither previouslyÌýexhibitedÌýin this country, challenge and transform classical conventions of portraiture. The latter work offers a raw and unsettling image of Maar during the war. They are shown alongside his remarkableÌýStill Life with Basket of Fruits and FlowersÌý(1942); its spiky and fraught depiction of its humble objects powerfully expressing the tenor of wartime Paris.Ìý
The Reuben Collection holds a significant collection of works by the Surrealist artist René Magritte. Some of Magritte’s most famous compositions are included in this display, such asÌýThe Dominion of LightÌýandÌýThe Intimate Friend. Both works date from the 1950s and are characteristically elusive juxtapositions that offer the promise of new and unexpected meanings, such as a nocturnal scene under a sunlit sky, or the artist’s iconic bowler-hatted man, overlaid with a wine glass and baguette. Magritte’sÌýLa DomaineÌýArnheim, 1949, is a further highlight of this group. Its surreal image of a landscape through a shattered window is an encapsulation of the transformations and reinventions of modern painting since the time ofÌý°äé³ú²¹²Ô²Ô±ð.Ìý
The ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Gallery has grown historically through the generosity of private individuals who haveÌýendowed it with the remarkable collections they formed. This tradition of philanthropy,ÌýinitiatedÌýat the Gallery by Samuel ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ in the 1930s, continues to extend and enhanceÌýthe ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Gallery’s world-famous collections.ÌýIn recent years,Ìýthe ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ GalleryÌýhasÌýalsoÌýenriched itsÌýdisplaysÌýwith works of artÌýloanedÌýto it fromÌýother collections,ÌýincludingÌýa group of paintings fromÌýthe Oskar Reinhart CollectionÌýandÌýexceptional works from the Barber Institute of Fine ArtÌýin Birmingham.Ìý
Modern Painting from the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ and ReubenÌýCollectionsÌý
Opening 18 September 2026Ìý
Katja and Nicolai Tangen 20th Century Gallery, Floor 3Ìý
/whats-on/exh-modern-painting-from-the-courtauld-and-reuben-collections/Ìý
ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Gallery, Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 0RN Ìý
Opening hours: 10:00 – 18:00 (last entry 17:15).Ìý
Weekday and weekend tickets from £12. ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Members and Under-18s go free. Other concessions available.Ìý
MEDIA CONTACTSÌý
ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½Ìý
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BoltonÌý& Quinn
Erica Bolton | erica@boltonquinn.com | +44 (0)20 7221 5000
Daisy Taylor | daisy@boltonquinn.com | +44 (0)20 7221 5000Ìý
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NOTES TO EDITORS Ìý
About the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½
The ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ 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. Ìý
The ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Gallery cares for one of the greatest art collections in the UK, presenting these works to the public at the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Gallery in central London, as well as through loans and partnerships. The Gallery is most famous for its iconic Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces – such as Van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear and Manet’s A Bar at ³Ù³ó±ðÌýFolies-BergeÌ€re. It showcases these alongside an internationally renowned collection of works from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance through to the present day. Ìý
Academically, the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ 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 – with an increasingly global focus. An independent college of the University of London, the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ offers a range of degree programmes from BA to PhD in the History of Art, curating, art and business and ³Ù³ó±ðÌýconservation 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. Ìý
Founded on the belief that everyone should have the opportunity to engage with art, the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ 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 ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½â€™s ambition is to transform access to art history education, ensuring as many people as possible canÌýbenefitÌýfrom the tools it offers to better understand the visual world around us. Ìý
The ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ 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. Ìý
The collection cared for by the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Gallery is owned by the Samuel ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Trust. Ìý
About the Reuben FoundationÌý
Formed in 2002, the Reuben Foundation is a UK charitable foundation focused on the advancement of healthcare, education and the community both in the UK and globally.ÌýÌý
Recent projects include the Reuben Scholarship Programme, whichÌýassistsÌýthousands of the most talented students from less advantaged backgrounds with financial support towards university living costs. The Reuben Scholarships Programme runs in partnership with the Universities of Oxford,ÌýCambridgeÌýand Ark Schools. In 2020 the Reuben Foundation made a transformational gift to establish Reuben College at the University of Oxford, marking only the 39th college in the university’s near-1,000-year history and the first new college at the university for 30 years.ÌýÌý
In the healthcare space gifts include the creation of the largest centre for paediatric cancer treatment in Europe at Great Ormond Street Hospital, a world-leading treatment and research centre at The Royal Marsden Hospital, and a new maternity ward and neonatal intensive care unit at Chelsea & Westminster Hospital as well as a new young people’s centre designed to provide immediate, specialist and integrated care to young people in mental health crisis.Ìý
Further information on the Reuben Foundation can be found at:ÌýÌý