The Courtauld Gallery was “unaffected” by a hearth that broke out on the roof of Somerset Home in central London in the present day, the museum posted on X, previously Twitter. Based mostly within the north wing of the historic web site, the Courtauld, which homes masterpieces by Van Gogh, Manet and Cézanne amongst many others, will reopen on 18 August.
Professor Mark Hallett, the Märit Rausing Director of The Courtauld, stated in a press release: “The Courtauld, together with our galleries and assortment of artworks, is unaffected by the hearth. As a precaution, we now have closed the galleries for the remainder of the day.”
The director of Somerset Home Belief, Jonathan Reekie, advised The Guardian that the hearth broke out within the west wing of the constructing and there have been “no artworks in that space”. The Courtauld Gallery director, Ernst Vegelin, was additionally current on web site.
Round 125 firefighters and 15 fireplace engines battled the blaze on the historic constructing on the Strand, in response to a press release posted by the London Fireplace Brigade. There are not any reported accidents; the causes of fireside are actually being examined whereas the complete extent of the harm is at present unknown. Quite a few enterprise and firms occupy the positioning, which has change into a key arts hub within the capital.
Assistant Commissioner Keeley Foster, who was on the scene, stated in a press release: “The hearth was positioned in a part of the constructing’s roof area. The age and design of the constructing proved a problem for crews as they initially responded. Consequently, 4 of the Brigade’s aerial ladders, together with a 64 metre turntable ladder, have been deployed to assist firefighters as they carried out a posh and technical response. This included creating fireplace breaks within the roof, which has now restricted the unfold of flames.”
Somerset Home has closed whereas the hearth brigade battles the blaze © The Artwork Newspaper
Somerset Home posted on X earlier in the present day: “All workers and public are secure and the positioning is closed. The London Fireplace Brigade arrived swiftly and we’re working very intently with them to manage the unfold of the hearth.”
The Courtauld Gallery of Artwork reopened in November 2021 following a four-year refurbishment. The restored and expanded advanced homes a plethora of latest galleries and areas with backing from main sponsors together with the luxurious conglomerate LVMH and the Ukrainian-born billionaire Leonard Blavatnik.
The preliminary Tudor palace on the Somerset Home web site was constructed by the Duke of Somerset round 1547; the present authorities on-site buildings have been initiated by King George III round 1776. The Courtauld Institute and Gallery moved to their present premises at Somerset Home in 1989 (previous to the transfer, the establishment was unfold throughout a number of buildings at Portman Sq. with a number of the assortment on show on the Warburg Institute).
