Courtauld secures £30m donation

The Courtauld has secured its largest ever donation with £30m having been secured from the Reuben Foundation.

The money will help the London institute, which combines the teaching and research of art history with a public gallery, to develop a new campus on the Strand, which is expected to open in 2029.  The project is being developed in partnership with King's College London.

Mark Hallett, the Märit Rausing director of the Courtauld, said: “As the Courtauld approaches its centenary in 2032, we're launching a campaign to transform our facilities in Somerset House and beyond, and to enhance our impact on the cultural life of Britain and the world.

“This capital redevelopment is a once in a generation project that will secure the Courtauld’s future for the next 100 years. The Rubin Foundation's extraordinary new gift will play a truly transformative role in funding the new campus and in supporting the Courtauld’s aim to share its expertise with the widest possible audience.”

The Reuben Foundation will also support the development of displays and exhibitions at the Courtauld through sharing works from the Reuben family’s art collection.

Lisa Reuben, a trustee of the Reuben Foundation, said: “We are thrilled by the opportunity to build on the Courtauld’s remarkable history and to support the realisation of its ambitious development. 

“Recognised internationally as the pre-eminent centre for the study of art history, art conservation and curatorial studies, the Courtauld exemplifies the philanthropist Samuel Courtauld’s vision of ‘art for all'. Its enduring commitment to excellence – reflected in the generations of leaders in the art world it has produced – aligns seamlessly with the Reuben Foundation’s values and ethos and furthers our commitment to education and culture.”

The Reuben Foundation is a UK charitable foundation that focuses on the advancement of healthcare, education and the community. The foundation was created in 2002 to channel the charitable giving of the Reuben family, which David and Simon Reuben, whose interests include property and technology. They were named the third-richest family in the UK by the Sunday Times Rich List, with a net worth of £24.9bn, in 2024.

The Reuben Foundation is a patron of London’s Design Museum and sponsored its Stanley Kubrick exhibition in 2019.

The donation to the Courtauld follows a recent National Gallery announcement that it had received the two biggest cash donations to a single museum or gallery ever publicly reported in the world. The money will be used to create a £375m wing to house the London museum’s expanding collection – the largest transformation of the gallery since its formation in 1824.

The donations to the National Gallery were £150m from Crankstart, the charitable foundation of Michael Moritz and his wife Harriet Heyman, and another £150m from the Julia Rausing Trust.

The Julia Rausing Trust funds the Museums Association’s Health and Wellbeing in Museums Fund.

And the Science Museum recently received an eight-figure donation from the Serum Institute of India. Led by CEO Adar Poonawalla, the Serum Institute of India is the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer and part of the Cyrus Poonawalla Group.