Paul_Mellon_Centre_for_Studies_in_British_Art
Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art
Centre for research into the history of British Art
The Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art is a scholarly centre in London devoted to supporting original research into the history of British Art. It was founded in 1970 and endowed by a gift from Paul Mellon. Since 1996, it has been situated at 16 Bedford Square in a Grade I listed building. This building houses an outstanding library of 26,000 publications focused on British art and architecture, and over 25 collected archives which include papers of eminent art historians such as Ellis K. Waterhouse, Oliver Millar, Brian Sewell[1] and Brinsley Ford. It also holds the records of its own institutional archives, including a growing oral history collection.[2] The centre compiled its own photographic archive from 1970 to 1996 and now also holds the Tate photographic archive.[3] All of these research collections are available to consult in the centre's Public Study Room.
As well as being incorporated as a British educational charity, the centre is part of Yale University and provides teaching in London for Yale students, through the successful Yale-in-London scheme. The centre supports a publication programme through Yale University Press and co-ordinates its activities with the sister institution, the Yale Center for British Art in New Haven.
The centre administers a comprehensive programme of grants and fellowships designed to support research into the history of British art, and hosts workshops, symposia, conferences and regular series of seminars.
The centre is a registered charity under English law[4] and is a member of the Association of Research Institutes in Art History.
