Camden Arts Centre is a place for world-class contemporary art exhibitions and education.
With artists at the core of the programme, Camden Arts Centre strives to involve members of the public in the ideas and processes of today’s artists, and the artists who inspire them. The exhibition and education programmes are developed with equal significance and are continually intertwined. The changing programme includes exhibitions, artist residencies, off-site projects and artist-led activities and courses, ensuring Camden Arts Centre remains a place for seeing, making and talking about contemporary art.
The building was opened in 1897 by its benefactor Sir Henry Harben, then Deputy Chairman of the Prudential Assurance Company. Known as the Napoleon of insurance, Harben developed the British Prudential Insurance Company into one of the pioneer commercial marvels of the 19th century. The Victorian structure funded by Harben survived World War II, despite hits by enemy incendiary bombs in 1940 and the blast from a V2 rocket in 1945.
