British School at Rome

British School at Rome

The British School at Rome, designed by Sir Edwin Luytens
Established	1901
Location	Rome, Italy London, United Kingdom
Coordinates
Type	Research centre Humanities & Visual Arts
Director	Christopher Smith
Website	Official website

The British School at Rome, which is based in Rome, Italy, is a leading humanities and fine arts research institution of the United Kingdom.

Foundation and mission

The British School at Rome (BSR) was established in 1901 and granted a UK Royal Charter in 1912. Its mission is “to promote knowledge of and deep engagement with all aspects of the art, history and culture of Italy by scholars and fine artists from Britain and the Commonwealth, and to foster international and interdisciplinary exchange.”

History and location

In 1911, the British Pavilion for the International Exhibition in Rome, celebrating 50 years since Italian reunification, was granted in perpetuity to the British nation – on condition that it be used exclusively as a research centre for archaeology, history and the fine arts. In 1916, after significant adaptation by its architect, Edwin Lutyens, the BSR moved into its current home in what is now via Antonio Gramsci, in the Valle Giulia. In 2002, a new purpose-built lecture theatre and gallery spaces, designed by architect Hugh Petter and sponsored by the Sainsbury family, were opened by the BSR’s President, HRH Princess Alexandra. The BSR is immediately adjacent to the Villa Borghese gardens and the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna.

Awards and fellowships

Today, the BSR awards full-board residential scholarships and fellowships to artists and scholars from across the Commonwealth for periods from 3 to 12 months. BSR awards are considered to enjoy substantial prestige within their respective fields. All scholars, artists and award holders share the same, Luytens-designed residence, which is located north of the Pincio in the Parioli district. As well as access to one of Rome's leading English-language art and archaeology libraries awardees are lodged in the academy’s individual rooms and are catered for in the communal dining and recreational facilities. The fine art awards provide artists with purpose-built, fully equipped, live-in studios and workshop facilities.

Awards, based on an international, open access application system, are made in the following fields: Archaeology of Italy and the Mediterranean; Late Antique and Medieval History; Renaissance and Enlightenment studies; Modern Italian Studies; Architectural History; Architecture including Landscape Architecture; contemporary visual arts practice.

List of ongoing Fine Arts awards

• Sainsbury Scholarship in Painting & Sculpture (one year residency)
• Abbey Scholarship in Painting (9 months residency)
• Rome Prize in Architecture (6 months residency)
• Derek Hill Foundation Scholarship (3 months residency)
• Abbey Fellowship in Painting (3 months residency)
• Arts Council of Northern Ireland Fellowship (3 months residency)
• Rome Fellowship in Contemporary Art (3 months residency)
• AEAF Cibo Espresso Residency (3 months residency)
• Australia Council Residency (3 months residency)
• Creative Scotland document Fellowships (3 months residency)
• National Art School, Sydney, Residency in Drawing (3 months residency)

Notable award holders in the field of Fine Arts include Mark Wallinger (Henry Moore Fellowship, 1998); Alison Wilding RA; Stephen Farthing RA (Abbey Scholarship in Painting, 1976); and Emma Stibbon RA (Derek Hill Foundation Scholarship, 2010).

List of ongoing Humanities awards

• Balsdon Fellowship (3 months senior fellowship)
• Hugh Last Fellowship (3 months senior fellowship)
• Paul Mellon Centre Fellowship (3 months senior fellowship)
• Rome Award (one year residency)
• Rome Fellowship (9 months residency)
• Ralegh Radford Rome Fellowship (6 months residency)
• Macquarie University Gale Scholarship (6 months residency]
• Coleman-Hilton Scholarship (University of Sydney) (3 months residency)
• Conseil des Arts et des Lettres, Quebec Residency (3 months residency)
• Giles Worsley Travel Fellowship (3 months residency)
• Mougins Museum Rome Awards (3 months residency)

Notable alumni in the field of Humanities include archaeologist Thomas Ashby (the first student of the BSR, who later became its Director), historian Simon Martin and art historian Helen Langdon (Paul Mellon Centre Rome Fellow, 2000).

Governance and leadership

The British School at Rome is one of the sponsored institutes of the British Academy, whilst maintaining itself as an autonomous body. It receives financial support from the British Academy, award sponsors, private donors and its membership. The BSR is led by a Director, who has traditionally been a senior humanities scholar in the fields of Classical history, art history and/or archaeology.

List of directors

• Gordon McNeil Rushforth – First Director
• Sir Henry Stuart-Jones (1903–1905)
• Thomas Ashby (1906–1925)
• Bernard Ashmole (1925–1928)
• Arthur Smith (1928 – 1930, 1932)
• Ian Richmond (1930–1932)
• Arthur Smith (1932) – Second term
• Colin Hardie (1933–1936)
• Ralegh Radford (1936–1939)
• No director during World War II (1939–1945)
• John Bryan Ward-Perkins (1946–1974)
• Dr David Whitehouse (1974–1984)
• Professor Donald A. Bullough (1984) – Acting Director
• Professor Graeme Barker (1984–1988)
• Professor Richard Hodges (1988–1995)
• Professor Andrew Wallace-Hadrill (1995–2009)
• Professor Christopher Smith (2009 – current)

Bibliography

• T. P. Wiseman, A Short History of the British School at Rome, 1990
• A. Wallace-Hadrill, The British School at Rome: One Hundred Years, 2001

See also

• Académie de France Rome
• American Academy in Rome
• British School at Athens
• Deutsches Archäologisches Institut Rom
• Villa Borghese gardens
• Villa Massimo

External links

• The British School at Rome

• Wiseman, T.P., 1990. A short history of the British School at Rome, British School at Rome.
• Wallace-Hadrill, A., 2001. The British School at Rome: one hundred years, London: British School at Rome
• John, Richard, 2010. Robert Adam: The Search for a Modern Classicism, Images Publishing.
• Press, O.U., 2012. Benezit Dictionary of British Graphic Artists and Illustrators, Oxford University Press.