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.
For the latest news, courses, events and competitions, stay in touch with us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
- Animals in art - from medieval art to todayCourse start date: Wed 6 Mar 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Irina ChkhaidzeThis course focuses on historical shifts in the depiction of animals from the late medieval period to the present, and on the contemporary representations of human-animal relations.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £99.00 Concession £64.00 - Friday lates: the home in artCourse start date: Fri 8 Mar 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Julia MusgraveFrom the renaissance to the present day the background, and the objects used by the people in an image give us a chance to see what homes and domestic life might have been like for artists and their contemporaries.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - Friday lates: Helen Chadwick - woman in revoltCourse start date: Fri 15 Mar 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Chantal CondronDiscover the work of British artist, Helen Chadwick (1953-1996) whose ground-breaking practice in sculpture, photography and installation art challenged media and public perceptions of women in society; and the female body. Exploring ideas of gender, identity and sexuality, Chadwick was significantly influential on a following generation of artists in Britain.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - Friday lates: Peggy Guggenheim - saving modern artCourse start date: Fri 22 Mar 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayGet to know the curatorial practice and art collection of Peggy Guggenheim and how it helped to save the work of many modern artists from their fascist censors.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - The history and meaning of portraitureCourse start date: Mon 15 Apr 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Leslie PrimoExamine the changing face of the portrait in art history from the early Renaissance to the present. Look at how and why its meaning and function have changed over the years and why artists are still drawn to it despite photography. - Friday lates: contemporary art in China - over the Great FirewallCourse start date: Fri 19 Apr 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Meitao QuFrom creation to distribution, the explosion of digital technologies has transformed artmaking in a myriad of ways. In this session, we will journey across the Great Firewall to explore contemporary, new media art China.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - Art and critical theory: vision and gazeCourse start date: Tue 23 Apr 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Irina ChkhaidzeExplore the role of critical theory within the field of art history, and learn new ways of thinking about art by focusing on the topics of vision and gaze.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £97.00 - Change must come: art, politics and societyCourse start date: Tue 23 Apr 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayAn exploration of art history that draws on specific political and social movements in modern, Western history and how artists contribute to and/or influence the dialogue. We will conclude with an engagement with contemporary art and politics. - Ways into advanced art history: research & writingCourse start date: Wed 24 Apr 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayDevelop a greater understanding of art history and how to analyse the cultural meaning of an artwork by going in-depth with the ideas of prominent art historians. This course is meant to cultivate your personal practice of art history through small, guided research and writing projects.Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £77.00 - Art, politics & culture in East and West Germany, and after the ReunificationCourse start date: Wed 24 Apr 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Irina ChkhaidzeExplore German art from the 1960s to present, from movements such as Conceptualism, Fluxus, Capitalist Realism and Neo-Expressionism to the most recent multi-media art.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £77.00 - Friday lates: art and mapsCourse start date: Fri 26 Apr 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Christopher CollierMaps have a long and fascinating history, yet it was really the 20th Century that saw them come alive as an artistic medium, as artists turned to them to explore their place in a disoriented world. Discover the many ways artists have worked with maps, from Surrealism through to Digital Media.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information. - Friday lates: the body as image and material in 20th century artCourse start date: Fri 3 May 2024
Location on this date: Online
Explore the representation of body and body-related practices by prominent modern and contemporary artists of the twentieth century.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - Friday lates: all about Eve - picturing the femme fatale in European artCourse start date: Fri 17 May 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayDiscover the types of women who don't conform to social rules, who wield a supernatural power that destablises the status quo. From the threatening type to the empowered woman, join us for an exploration of the femme fatale in early modern and modern European art.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - Art and critical theory: feminism and post-colonialismCourse start date: Tue 4 Jun 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Irina ChkhaidzeExplore the role of critical theory within the field of art history, and learn new ways of thinking about art by focusing on feminism, post-colonial theory and the notion of the death of the author.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information. - Friday lates: Agnes Martin - pioneer, painter, iconCourse start date: Fri 14 Jun 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Henry MartinThis course examines the unconventional life and artworks of Agnes Martin (1912–2004), regarded as one of the great artists of the Twentieth Century. Topics covered include Abstract Expressionism, Minimalism, LGBTQ artists, and the role of the biography in Art History.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00
Can't see a course you want?
Add this category to your waiting list to set up alerts and we will update you when new courses are released online.
Add me to waiting list