The Arab Hall Project
Leighton House
Artwork Commission Brief
Exhibition: The Arab Hall: Past and Present
Dates: 21 March – 4 October 2026
Location: Leighton House, Kensington, London
1 - Project Overview
2026 marks 100 years of Leighton House as a museum and to celebrate this centenary year the museum is hosting an ambitious exhibition project on the Arab Hall. A unique interior designed around Leighton’s collection of antique tiles, the majority of which originate from Damascus, Syria, the Arab Hall is the stand-
out space at the museum. This project will be the first to look at the Arab Hall in depth, exploring both its history and its continued relevance today, through a multi-room exhibition extending across both exhibition galleries as well as the Arab Hall itself.
Within the Arab Hall we wish to commission three contemporary artists to create individual site-specific artworks which respond to the space, throwing a new light on this historic interior for contemporary audiences. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the next 100 years of Leighton House – we hope you’ll join us!
2 - Background: Leighton House and The Arab Hall
Leighton House is the former studio-home of Victorian artist Frederic Leighton (1830-1896). He spent most of his early life living and travelling across Europe and after he settled in London in 1859, travel continued to be an important part of his life. Between 1857 and 1878, the year in which he became President of the Royal Academy, he interspersed regular trips to Europe with visits to cities in North Africa, Southern Spain, Syria and Turkey. His first trip to an Islamic country, to Algeria in 1857, had a profound effect on him and more than twenty years later he was to write that he had loved: ‘The East, as it is called, ever since.’ He travelled alone, keen to explore architecture and culture with which he was unfamiliar, each time bringing home drawings and oil sketches, and objects such as ceramics and textiles. The idea began to form in his mind of creating a distinctive space in his house, inspired by some of the interiors he had experienced. In 1877 he commissioned his friend the architect George Aitchison to begin work on the Arab Hall, a project that incorporated tiles, woodwork and coloured glass windows acquired largely in Egypt and Syria, and aesthetic concepts from many more of the places he had travelled to.
3 - The Arab Hall Project
The Arab Hall project (opening 21st March 2026) will be the first exhibition to explore the space in detail. The project will have three main components:
1. A new, specially commissioned film on the Arab Hall, exploring the origins of the tiles and the context and buildings in which they were originally displayed, Leighton’s creation of the Arab Hall, and the meaning of the Arab Hall today. This film will be c.15 minutes in length and will be displayed on a loop in the Verey Exhibition Gallery on the first floor of the museum.
2. An exhibition of artefacts relating to the Arab Hall, including the architect George Aitchison’s original drawings for the space, paintings and drawings that Leighton made as he travelled, and ceramics from Leighton’s collection.
3. A series of three contemporary commissions in the Arab Hall, created in response to the space. The exhibition will be accompanied by a learning and public programme which responds to the exhibition’s themes and will be supported by an extensive marketing campaign as part of the museum’s 100 years celebration.
4 – The Commission
The museum is looking for three artists to respond to the Arab Hall with temporary installations in the space that offer new insight into the room and its significance today.
The three commissioned works will be produced individually rather than collaboratively and be displayed as a series over the period of the project (21st March - 4th October 2026). Each artist will therefore have their
work displayed in the Arab Hall for c.2 months. There are many aspects to the Arab Hall, and we are interested in proposals which engage directly with the room, its history and meaning and interact specifically with the surroundings. Please consider carefully the following essential requirements when making an application:
-The artwork must be a new piece conceived and made specifically for the Arab Hall.
-The artwork must take its inspiration directly from the Arab Hall - imaginatively interacting with and reflecting on the meaning of the space, prompting the viewer to consider and engage with it afresh
-The artwork must take into account the fragile nature of the space. It will not be possible to fix into the walls, floor or ceiling or to install works of excessive weight or scale.
-Leighton House is used for evening commercial events. It may be necessary to remove the artwork during these events and proposals should consider how the work would be easily removed for the duration of the event.
-The artwork must not pose a health and safety hazard to visitors to the museum.
Beyond these essential requirements, proposals will be selected on the basis of the following criteria:
-A strong connection to or perspective on the Arab Hall: we are looking to commission pieces which really respond to the space and engage with the interiors in a thought-provoking way. This could mean focusing in on a particular aspect or element of the Arab Hall or engaging with the space as a whole.
-A creative use of the space: we are looking for proposals which carefully consider how the work will be displayed in the space. We are open to proposals which make use of a variety of different media, from 3D installations, to works which use sound or light.
-An impactful experience for visitors: we are looking for artworks which will leave a lasting impression on visitors and add to their experience of visiting the Arab Hall. Proposals should consider carefully how visitors will interact with the artwork.
-At least one of the selected artists will either live, work or study in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
5 – The Commitment
Successful artists will need to deliver the finished artwork to the museum by 13th March 2026. Following their appointment, the museum will schedule regular meetings to discuss progress and review any mockups or plans. The artist will need to be present for the installation, as well as for key exhibition events including the private view and press preview, with dates to be agreed nearer the time.
6 - The Budget
Each commissioned artist will receive a fee of £4,000 for their work on the project. In addition to the this the museum will cover up to £2,000 in materials costs. 25% of the fee will be paid upfront and the remaining 75% upon completion. Payment for materials costs will be paid at the end of the project, subject to receiving the relevant receipts.
7 – How to submit a proposal
If you are interested in this opportunity, please complete the below online application form, and email your CV and proposal to Hannah Lund, Curator of Exhibitions and Displays (hannah.lund@rbkc.gov.uk) by Wednesday 27th August 2025
- A completed Application Form
- A CV highlighting any commissions / artworks / exhibitions which are particularly relevant to this project
- A proposal outlining your idea for the Arab Hall commission
We encourage anyone considering applying to come and visit the Arab Hall at Leighton House if you are not familiar with it. If you would like to do so, please visit the welcome desk when you arrive at the museum, and let staff know that you are visiting as part of “The Arab Hall Project”. They will be able to provide you with a free admission ticket. It will not be possible to book free admission online.
We have also put together an online talk with some more background information on the museum and the Arab Hall to provide you with some further context. Please do not share this more broadly – this has been put together specifically for applicants to the Arab Hall project.
Link to The Arab Hall online talk
Once all the proposals have been received, they will be shortlisted by the project curators: Daniel Robbins, Senior Curator, Hannah Lund, Curator of Exhibitions and Displays, Melanie Gibson, Arab Hall Project CoCurator, and the Arab Hall Advisory Panel. Shortlisted artists will then be invited for a discussion at Leighton House.
If you have any questions about the brief please contact Hannah Lund, Curator of Exhibitions and Displays (hannah.lund@rbkc.gov.uk).
SupportedbyCockayneGrantsfortheArts,themuseum'sExhibitionCircleandTheFriendsofLeighton House.Thepromotionandoutreachfortheprogrammingof100YearsofLeightonHousehasbeen supportedbytheCORAFoundation.