Institute of Contemporary Arts

The Institute of Contemporary Arts stands on The Mall in the City of Westminster, just off Trafalgar Square. It occupies Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace near Admiralty Arch and the Duke of York Steps. The building houses galleries, a theatre, two cinemas, a bookshop and a bar. It was founded in 1946 by Roland Penrose, Peter Watson, Herbert Read, Peter Gregory, Geoffrey Grigson and E. L. T. Mesens. The founders wanted a space where artists, writers and scientists could debate ideas beyond the Royal Academy. Their model came from the Leeds Arts Club, where Herbert Read had been a leading member. The ICA has launched Pop art, Op art and British Brutalist art and architecture. Early directors included Ewan Phillips, Dorothy Morland and Philip Dodd. Norman Rosenthal’s time as exhibitions director saw anarchic programmes and even a preserved bloodstain on the wall. Jasia Reichardt curated the 1968 show Cybernetic Serendipity, one of the first on computer art. The Independent Group met here from 1952 to 1963 and organised the exhibition This Is Tomorrow. Visitors find changing exhibitions across the galleries and films in two cinemas. Talks and performances fill the theatre and lecture spaces. The bookshop and bar offer places to pause. Refurbishment in 2024 opened up windows and added an accessible ramp to the main gallery. The foyer, bookshop, café and gallery now form a single welcoming area.