British School at Rome

• Name — British School at Rome • Established — 1901 • Type — Research centre Humanities and visual arts • Director — Abigail Brundin (2021–present) • President — Princess Alexandra

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." Following the International Exhibition of Art in Rome in 1911, the site of the Edwin Lutyens-designed British Pavilion in the Valle Giulia was granted to the UK on condition that it be used exclusively as a British research centre for archaeology, history and the fine arts. In 1916, after significant adaptation by Lutyens, the BSR moved into what is still its home. In 2002, a purpose-built lecture theatre and gallery spaces, designed by Hugh Petter and sponsored by the Sainsbury family, were opened by Princess Alexandra. The BSR is immediately adjacent to the Villa Borghese gardens and the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna.

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, and is a registered charity under English law. The BSR is led by a Director, who has traditionally been a senior scholar in the fields of Classical history, art history, or archaeology.

• 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 (2009–2017) • Professor Stephen Milner (2017–2020) • Professor Chris Wickham (2020–September 2021) • Professor Abigail Brundin (September 2021–present)