Welcome
Based in London’s Bedford Square, the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art is an educational charity and research institute that supports new ways of understanding British art history and culture.
What is Research Now?
Beginning 14 May 2025. Join us for a full year of programming around interconnected strands that ask us to think more curiously, critically and open-endedly about the role and practice of the arts. Details on individual events can be found below.
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linkWhat is Research Now? Day 1
Join us from 4pm to 9pm on 14 May with 'Unconfessed Architectures' from Huda Tayob (Royal College of Art) and concluding with 'Afterimages and the Art of Grieving', with Tina Campt (Princeton University).
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linkWhat is Research Now? Day 2
We continue the festival from 4pm on 15 May for talks from Nida Sinnokrot (MIT and Sakiya), Avinòam Shalem (Columbia University) as well as a performance by Tiara Roxanne (Scholar, Artist, Practitioner).
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linkWhat is Research Now? Day 3, Part 1
Our final day is split into two parts with part one beginning on 16 May from 1pm where you can enjoy 'A Bridge, a Seesaw, a Möbius Strip: On the Making of an Autoethnographic Film' with Solveig Qu Suess.
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linkWhat is Research Now? Day 3, Part 2
The concluding part of the festival begins at 5pm on 16 May with a performance and Q&A with Kitso Lynn Lelliott and Huda Tayob followed by a drinks reception.
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linkNews
New Head of Research Resources & Publications Appointed
Kate Retford has been appointed to the new position of Head of Research Resources & Publications.
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linkNews
Spring 2025 Grants Awards Announced
We are pleased to announce the recipients of our recent Spring 2025 round of funding opportunities.
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.
Conversations, an exhibition supported by the Paul Mellon Centre and held at the Walker Art Gallery in 2024.
supported by a Curatorial Research Grant.
Grants & Fellowships
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linkFunding Opportunities for Individuals
Support your research at any career stage with grants and fellowships from £2,000 to £60,000.
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linkFunding Opportunities for Organisations
Access grant funding to enhance curatorial projects, events, conservation initiatives, and collaborative research at your organisation.
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linkRecipients of Paul Mellon Centre Funding
In the last two decades, we have provided support for over 2,200 projects. Explore more via the lists of funding recipients.
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link360Giving
We believe in transparency and accountability. That's why we publish our grant data through 360Giving. Explore how our funding impacts the sector and drives research.
Hew Locke’s “The Procession”
Responding to Locke’s remarkable installation, we commissioned the filmmaker Jérome Monnot to collaborate with nine scholars and curators, and with the artist himself, to make a series of short films about “The Procession”.
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linkHew Locke: “The Procession”
Hew Locke discusses his process of creating a procession artwork for the Duveen galleries at Tate Britain.
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linkSria Chatterjee: Climate and Colonialism
Sria Chatterjee discusses how Hew Locke explores colonialism and climate change through the imagery of British and Dutch plantation cultures.
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linkMark Hallett: Activating “The Death of Major Peirson”
Mark Hallett considers how “The Procession” engages with John Singleton Copley's painting “The Death of Major Peirson.”
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linkWatch the full set of Jérome Monnot's films
Narrated by academics from a variety of backgrounds and specialities, each film approaches “The Procession” from a unique perspective.
Publications
We publish peer-reviewed monographs and catalogues on an ever-expanding range of topics, alongside a host of innovative digital publications, including our open access 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
We support young people to explore British art and art history by providing opportunities to share their unique perspectives and engage with ideas through a variety of approaches. We foster inclusive communities that prioritise collaboration and connection.
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linkBritish Art in Motion
A filmmaking opportunity inviting undergraduate students to bring ideas to life through moving image.
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linkWorkshops
Events for 18–24-year-olds exploring art and art history through hands-on workshops and behind-the-scenes experiences.
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linkWrite on Art
A national writing programme inviting 14-19-year-olds to share their creative, critical and personal responses to art through writing.
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linkArt Teachers Connect
Opportunities for teachers across the UK to gain new skills, develop confidence in teaching art and art history, and connect with a wider community of educators.
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.