About

The Florence Trust provides a dynamic mentoring programme and studio residency in London for twelve international artists each year. The programme is designed to support our artists’ artistic and professional development through mentoring, group critiques, workshops, and tours and is tailored to their personal objectives. Each of our artists commences their year-long studio residency in August and the residency culminates in a curated exhibition and publication in July.

History & Location

The Florence Trust was founded as an educational charity by painter Patrick Hamilton and opened its doors to artists in 1990 with support from English Heritage and the Council for the Care of Churches. Hamilton had worked in a large communal studio in Florence, Italy and was inspired to replicate the beautiful surroundings and atmosphere of exchange that he had found so productive, in London. At the Florence Trust he created a place where exchange with other artists is productively encouraged and where the surroundings themselves add beauty and inspiration. The Florence Trust is located at St Saviours, Highbury, a unique, Grade-1 listed, neo-gothic, former Anglican church, considered one of the best examples of the work of eccentric architect William White (1825-1900).

For a more detailed look at the Trust’s history please click here.

For more information on the building, visit its English Heritage page here.

Staff Profiles

Steven Allbutt –  Director

Yuka Namekawa – Assistant

For full staff profiles, click here

Board Of Trustees

Simon Lewandowski

Alistair Howick

Andy Wicks – Chairman

Alumni

Our alumni artists continue to be important to us and we frequently communicate future developments and include them in opportunities.

Florence Trust alumni include:

Corinne Felgate, artwork commissions from Tate Gallery, Artsadmin, and British Ceramics Festival

Sam Jackson, included in major survey exhibitions Reality:Modern and Contemporary British Painting

Alan Magee, included in Open Cube curated by Adriano Pedrosa at White Cube, London

Dylan Stone, work acquired by Houston Museum of Fine Art

Suzanne Moxhay, Print Fellow at the Royal Academy 2008-12

Fiona Curran, senior tutor at the Royal College of Art

Annelore Schneider, as part of Collectifact won Swiss Art Prize in 2011

Amy Thomas and Oliver Irvine, exhibited at The Tanks, Tate Modern 2012

Tim Phillips, work acquired by Zabludowicz Collection

Catrin Morgan, represented by DallaRosa Gallery, London

Jessica Tsang, awarded residency at European Ceramics Work Centre, Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands

Anna Freeman, Artist-in-Restaurant award at Pied à Terre, London