This building houses an outstanding library of 26,000 publications focused on British art and architecture, and over 25 collected archives which include papers of eminent art historians such as Ellis K. Waterhouse, Oliver Millar, Brian Sewell[1] and Brinsley Ford.

The centre administers a comprehensive programme of grants and fellowships designed to support research into the history of British art, and hosts workshops, symposia, conferences and regular series of seminars.

The centre is a registered charity under English law[4] and is a member of the Association of Research Institutes in Art History.

The Paul Mellon Centre underwrites the production costs of publications concerned with the study of British art and architecture.

[7] In March 2019, the Paul Mellon Centre's open access, peer-reviewed digital publication The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition: A Chronicle, 1769-2018 was nominated for a Webby Award[8] and won the People's Vote award in the art website category.