The Courtauld Gallery temporarily closed due to “fatality” inside the building
The Courtauld Gallery, located inside London‘s Somerset House on the Strand, is temporarily closed due to a “fatality” occurring inside the building.
The incident happened on October 3rd, and the art gallery will remain closed until October 6th. A statement has been released by the institution declaring the “tragic event” as “not suspicious.”
They wrote, “Yesterday afternoon, a tragic event occurred at The Courtauld Gallery premises that led to a fatality. The police are not treating the event as suspicious. Our thoughts are with the family of the deceased.”
The London-based art gallery was founded by Samuel Courtauld, Lord Lee of Fareham and Sir Robert Witt in 1932. Home to over 33,000 items, the gallery boasts paintings by the likes of Vincent van Gogh, Sandro Botticelli, Francisco Goya and Peter Paul Rubens.
However, the Courtauld is best known for its extensive collection of Impressionist painters, including works by Edgar Degas, Paul Cezanne, Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
The gallery is currently exhibiting a display of Claudette Johnson’s work, a British artist and founding member of the Black British Arts Movement.
The Courtauld has urged those who have purchased tickets for the exhibition to rebook their scheduled date or request a refund.
