New Display Showcasing Staff Selections from the Paul Mellon Centre Archive & Library Collections

We are pleased to announce the opening of a new display featuring material from our Archives & Library collections.

From Black and White to Colour: Staff Selections from the Paul Mellon Centre’s Archives & Library Collections highlights the diverse and often unexpected ways in which British art and architectural history can be explored through the Paul Mellon Centre (PMC)’s holdings.

Curated by members of the Archives & Library team, the display includes items from the collections of a stained-glass expert, a biographer, a gallerist and an architectural historian. These items reflect PMC’s recent expansion of its acquisition policy to encompass a wider range of voices within the field of British art. Additionally, the display showcases library materials acquired through recent donations including rare books, manufacturers’ trade catalogues and exhibition publications, illustrating the evolving scope of PMC’s collecting activities.

With nearly fifty separate archives and a library comprising over 50,000 books, exhibition catalogues and auction catalogues, the PMC’s collections afford a wealth of research opportunities. This display offers a glimpse into the depth and richness of the collections and underscores the element of discovery that informs the daily work of the Archives & Library team.

From Black and White to Colour: Staff Selections from the Paul Mellon Centre’s Archives & Library Collections is open until 27 June 2025. Visitors are welcome from 10am – 5pm, Monday to Friday at the Paul Mellon Centre, 16 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3JA.