About the FT

The Florence Trust offers an international residency programme and supports many artists across London with affordable artist studios and opportunities.

The Florence Trust was launched in 1990 by painter Patrick Hamilton, inspired by his time living and working as an artist in Florence.

Our residency programme provides the opportunity to work for one year/6 months with a small group of carefully selected artists, pushing the boundaries of their work and exploring new ideas.

The Trust offers an exceptional experience well beyond the normal provision of studio space with access to our networks, individual career support and opportunities. For many artists, their period with us has been a turning point in their careers.

The trust also currently support many artists by providing studios in London and we are proud that our studio rates are priced not just competitively, but affordably.

We’re able to offer affordable studio rates thanks to our location partners. We occupy their unused sites, many of which are listed historic buildings, and during our tenancy we maintain the site and prevent it from falling into disrepair. Many of our studio holders and resident artists have told us that it’s a privilege to spend time in such majestic buildings.


The Florence Trust is directed by Steven Allbutt and Yuka Namekawa, who were also resident artists at the Florence Trust in 2008. Their first-hand experience of the residency and long standing connections to the London art world, guide the direction of the trust so it can be sustainable and offer even more value to artists. 

Meet the trustees

We are currently looking for new trustees to help us seize current opportunities and drive the trust forward.

Collaborators

Our website was designed and built by our artist collaborators Ben Howell (Design) and Johanna de Verdier (Development).