AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Partnership (CDP) studentship – Exporting JMW Turner, c.1910–1966 with Tate and the University of York
This project examines the international circulation, display and critical reassessment of the work of British artist JMW Turner (1775–1851) during the first half of the twentieth century. It will be jointly supervised by Dr Amy Concannon (Tate Britain) and Dr Richard Johns (University of York).
Applications for 2026/27 are open until Wednesday 27 May 2026, 11.59pm BST
How did the international circulation, display and reception of JMW Turner's work in the twentieth century, particularly in the US, shape the artist's evolving posthumous legacy?
This project is shaped by two definitive moments in the eventful afterlife of JMW Turner: the 1910 display in London of the artist’s unfinished late oils, and the 1966 exhibition, ‘JMW Turner: Reality and Imagination’, at MoMA, New York. These are also key milestones in Tate’s institutional history. The display in 1910 took place at the Tate Gallery in spaces funded by art dealer Joseph Duveen, while the MoMA exhibition was guest curated by the Tate’s Keeper of British Art, Lawrence Gowing.
The intervening decades gave rise to the most impactful transformation in Turner’s posthumous reputation, from Old Master to proto-Modernist. Working alongside, but distinct from, the history and deep historiography of the Turner Bequest, this project asks how the art market, private collectors and public institutions reinvented Turner for a new century. In doing so, it seeks to understand the institutional, economic and aesthetic factors that continue to shape the reception of the artist’s work today.
A significant part of the project will focus on the steady flow of the artist’s work across the Atlantic during the first half of the century, at the behest of influential dealers and collectors whose names continue to resonate: Sir Joseph Duveen and his son, Sir Henry Clay Frick, Robert Sterling Clark, Paul Mellon.
Research questions may include:
- How did a taste for Turner among collectors in the US shape the artist’s transatlantic reputation?
- What underlying economic and political factors fuelled these sales?
- How did the introduction of the Waverley Criteria in 1952 alter the international market for Turner’s work?
Research with Tate
This research studentship is one allocated to Tate by the AHRC. The successful student will be expected to spend time carrying out research and gaining relevant experience with the partner in London as part of the studentship. They will also be ideally placed to develop their curatorial skills in the future presentation of Turner in the Clore galleries and/or Archive display, and to hone their written skills for online content, such as through published summary texts and catalogue entries.
Details of award
CDP doctoral training grants fund full-time studentships for 48 months (4 years) or part-time equivalent up to a maximum of 8 years.
The award pays tuition fees up to the value of the full-time ‘Home’ fee (£5,238/year). Students with an ‘Overseas’ fee status are welcome to apply but will need to cover the difference between the Home fee (£5,238/year) and Overseas fee (£25,350/year) and will be required to reside in the UK until completion of the PhD.
The award pays an annual stipend for all students, both home and international students. This stipend is tax free, and is the equivalent of an annual salary, enabling the student to pay living costs. The UKRI Minimum Doctoral Stipend for 2026/27 is £21,805/year, plus an allowance of £1000/year and a CDP maintenance payment of £600/year. Full details are on the UKRI website.
The successful candidate is also eligible to receive an additional travel and related expenses grant during the project courtesy of Tate worth up to £1,300 per year for 4 years.
The successful candidate will be encouraged to participate in professional development events and activities organised for all Collaborative Doctoral Partnership students who are registered with different universities and studying with cultural and heritage organisations across the UK. These activities are organised by a coordination team based at the V&A and are designed to provide CDP researchers with the knowledge, networks and skills to thrive in their future careers.
AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Partnership (CDP) studentship – Exporting JMW Turner, c.1910–1966 with Tate and the University of York contact details
Richard Johns
richard.johns@york.ac.uk
Eligibility
Open to International (including EU), International (non-EU) and UK (home) students.
International students are eligible to receive the full award for maintenance as are home students. They will need to pay themselves the difference between what the AHRC provide to the University for tuition and the charge made by the university for tuition fees for international students studying for a doctoral degree in History of Art. This for 2026/27 is a difference of £20,112/year.
- To be classed as a home student, candidates must meet the following criteria:
- Be a UK or Irish National (meeting residency requirements), or
- Have settled status, or
- Have pre-settled status (meeting residency requirements), or
- Have indefinite leave to remain or enter.
- The studentship can be studied either full or part-time.
- You must be able to start on 1 October 2026
- We want to encourage the widest range of potential students to study for a CDP studentship and are committed to welcoming students from different backgrounds to apply. We particularly welcome applications from people of Global Majority backgrounds as they are currently underrepresented at this level in this area.
- Applicants should ideally have or expect to receive a relevant Masters-level qualification in a relevant subject such as history of art, museum studies, or cultural history, or be able to demonstrate equivalent experience in a professional setting such as a museum, library, or gallery.
- Applicants must be able to demonstrate an interest in the museum sector and potential and enthusiasm for developing skills more widely in related areas.
- As a collaborative award, students will be expected to spend time at both the University and Tate Britain.
- All applicants must meet the UKRI terms and conditions for funding.
How to apply
Application deadline: Wednesday 27 May 2026, 11.59pm BST
Applicants should complete an online application for the PhD in History of Art at York, complete with:
- a full CV
- a provisional research statement of no more than 1,500 words, explaining your interest in the project and detailing how your academic and/or professional background have prepared you to undertake this research
- details of two referees (at least one of these should be academic)
- an academic transcript and, if relevant, proof of English language proficiency
Informal enquiries in advance of an application are welcome. Please email the lead supervisor Richard Johns: richard.johns@york.ac.uk.
The deadline for submitting an application is Wednesday 27 May 2026.
We ask all applicants to complete a voluntary EDI monitoring form. All responses are anonymous.
How we allocate
If your application is successful, interviews will take place the week commencing 8 June 2026.
Collaborative Doctoral Partnership consortium webinar
All CDP projects are part of a nationwide programme called the Collaborative Doctoral Partnership consortium. The CDP consortium will host an online webinar for prospective applicants on 13 April 2026 at 11am. This webinar will provide an overview of the CDP funding scheme.
To sign up for a webinar, please email cdp@vam.ac.uk with the subject line “Prospective Applicant Webinar” from the email address you would like to join the online meeting from. Sign up will close on 10 April 2026 at 17:00.
The webinar will not focus on individual projects.