Art history

Art History courses online and in London

Looking to build your confidence in discussing and interpreting art? Or are you interested in taking your established knowledge of art in new directions? Then come and join City Lit’s Art History learning community!

Our exceptional range of courses, both introductory and in-depth, are designed for all learning levels. Our programme approaches art history from a variety of perspectives including social and cultural context, art theory and philosophy, curation and collecting, general art appreciation and so much more.

Choosing the right class for you

Our courses are open to all. Our students come from all backgrounds and learning experiences, from the absolute beginner to those refining their knowledge and understanding. We aim to give you the confidence to engage meaningfully with art, whatever level you are working from. Our students use our courses for personal fulfilment as well as professional and educational development. Many of our students go on to advanced degree and certificate programmes and many are able to use their knowledge in art making and gallery work.

Learn from expert tutors

At City Lit we are proud of the expertise of our tutors who are all professional art historians working actively in museums, galleries, research and writing, universities and auction houses. As experts in the field, they are able to provide you with the support and guidance you need to develop your art historical knowledge. As teachers they provide student-focused education, helping students achieve their art historical goals, both the personal and the professional.

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Courses available both in-person and online

We offer a range of long and short courses allowing you to choose between in-person and online learning.

Learn in the centre of London with our in-person courses. Our purpose-built facilities in Covent Garden mean we are ideally located and easy to get to. 

See our guide to online learning for more information about accessing our live online courses.

All our courses are live, interactive, and taught by expert tutors. No matter how you prefer to learn, we've got the class for you.

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  1. Global encounters: Europe and Africa, 1300-1600
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 27 Apr 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Vanessa King
    Explore European perceptions of Africa and its inhabitants: from misconstrued tales of monstrous races and the legendary Prester John, to the charting of the west coast and rise of the slave trade.
    Full fee £49.00 Senior fee £39.00 Concession £32.00
  2. Mews, monuments and museums: exploring SW7
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sun 28 Apr 2024

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Tutors:  Marilyn Greene
    This circular walk explores the alleys lanes, squares and delightful mews houses and passes a disused tube station in the mainly in the Knightsbridge conservation area and contrasts with the grand museums, institutions and monuments built in South Kensington (Albertopolis) developed with profits of the Great Exhibition held in Hyde Park in 1851.



    Meets outside the main entrance to the V&A ends outside the Natural History Museum. Meets outside the main entrance to the V&A ends outside the Natural History Museum.
    Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00
  3. Richard III: a medieval whodunit
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 11 May 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Vanessa King
    Who was responsible for the death of the princes in the Tower has to be the most publicised debate in British history. Does being a nice guy in the North mean you can’t be ruthless when the opportunity arises?
    Full fee £49.00 Senior fee £39.00 Concession £32.00
  4. City gardens of the Blitz
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 11 May 2024

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Tutors:  Marilyn Greene
    Discover the delightful gardens of the City of London created from WWII bomb sites. Revealing the history of the sites - including past industrial buildings, Roman ruins, and the sites of a former Wren churches and a Roman bath house - this walk spans the length of the City.



    Starts Outside Café Nero Moorgate Station end St Dunstan in the East Garden. Starts Outside Café Nero Moorgate Station end St Dunstan in the East Garden.
    Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £23.00 Concession £19.00
  5. The US and immigration
    Course start date:  Mon 13 May 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Dale Mineshima-Lowe
    Join us for a short workshop exploring the issues of migration and immigration in modern American history.
    Full fee £49.00 Senior fee £39.00 Concession £32.00
  6. The US and poverty
    Course start date:  Mon 20 May 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Dale Mineshima-Lowe
    In this course we will examine the historical changes to poverty in the US and begin to unpick the causes and effects of poverty in one of the world’s wealthiest nations.
    Full fee £49.00 Senior fee £39.00 Concession £32.00
  7. Exploring Conservation Finchley
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 8 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Tutors:  Marilyn Greene
    Finchley Central contains three conservation areas. Starting at the oldest part of the former village of Finchley Church End , this walk stops to admire traces of the old village, Edwardian and Victorian architecture before moving on to the delightful Finchley Garden village and College Farm, the last remaining farm in Finchley.



    Meeting points: Start by the bike rack Station Road Exit of Finchley Central tube station, end Henley's Corner on the junction of Regent's Park Road by La Deliverance statue.
    Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £23.00 Concession £19.00
  8. Crime and punishment in Old London
    Course start date:  Mon 10 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Tutors:  Diane Burstein
    Take a guided walk through the old City and its borders taking in beheadings and brutality at the Tower, tales of cutpurses and con men, the rise of prisons and the ghastly punishments that were meted out to wrongdoers. We go on a journey to Newgate Gaol, the Bridewell Prison and the places of execution including the notorious Tyburn Tree to hear tales of brutality, escapes and the bloodthirsty crowds who watched executions. Our tour includes London’s atmospheric legal quarter taking in the Old Bailey, The Royal Courts of Justice and the Inns of Court to discover how London’s legal system developed .



    Meet outside St Paul’s Cathedral by the Statue of Queen Anne.
    Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00
  9.  Feasting and banqueting: the politics of food in Medieval Europe
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 22 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Vanessa King
    Discover how dishes known as subtleties were used at medieval banquets not only to incite wonder but to set a political agenda.
    Full fee £49.00 Senior fee £39.00 Concession £32.00
  10. Windrush: celebrating London’s Caribbean communities – History Walk
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 22 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Want to learn more about Windrush and London's Caribbean communities and celebrate Windrush Day? Join A. S. Francis on this history walk!
    Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00
  11. Black internationalism in the heart of the Empire – History walk
    Course start date:  Tue 30 Jul 2024

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Want to learn more about the history of Black activism and anti-colonialism? Join A. S. Francis to learn more!
    Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00
  12. The old Jewish East End
    Course start date:  Mon 6 May 2024

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Tutors:  Diane Burstein
    Today the London Jewish community is associated with areas to the North West and North East of London but this tour explores the area where Jewish people settled from 1656 onwards. Take a guided walk through the streets of the East End to reveal old synagogue buildings, a soup kitchen , markets, shops, businesses and homes associated with London’s Jewish community. We’ll hear about some of the personalities associated with the area from philanthropists to performers.



    Meets outside Liverpool Street Station , Liverpool Street Exit outside the upper concourse of the stationby the Kindertransport Memorial next to McDonalds.
    Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00
  13. Art Deco London walk
    Course start date:  Thu 20 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Tutors:  Diane Burstein
    Travel back to the 1930s to explore the Art Deco style that influenced a variety of designs, from radios and cutlery to places related to travel, entertainment and commerce. In addition to looking at the architecture of the period, your guide will tell stories of life in London from the time these buildings were being erected.



    Meeting outside St James’s Park tube station (Broadway exit) and finishing at the coach station. Meeting outside St James’s Park tube station (Broadway exit) and finishing at the coach station.
    Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00
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