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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- The rise and fall of the Italian Renaissance
Course start date: Mon 18 Sep 2023Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Leslie PrimoWhen, where and what was the Italian Renaissance? Explore it through the craft of its masters such as Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo, Titian and others and trace its legacy.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £229.00 Concession £149.00 - Islamic art in the medieval world Course start date: Thu 21 Sep 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Anita ChowdryA course examining the formation and development of Islamic Art and Design; looking at the role of ideology and patronage, and the key influences that went into its development and evolution.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £191.00 Concession £155.00 - Modern art: movements 1850-1900 Course start date: Tue 26 Sep 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Elizabeth EyresExplore art and culture in the late 19th century, focussing on the major developments in modern art including the Pre-Raphaelites, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism and Symbolism, and their relationship to wider cultural contexts.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £149.00 - Introduction to art history Course start date: Tue 3 Oct 2023 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayAre you interested in art and want to get more out of looking at art and exhibitions? Want to know what an art historian does? Develop your interpretative skills by exploring at how art is made and what social and cultural factors construct our understanding of it.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £229.00 - In depth: early Renaissance Course start date: Tue 9 Jan 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Julia MusgraveExplore the incredible progress of early Renaissance art and ideas in Northern Italy. We look at key artists and their patrons; painting and decorative arts and the background to the Renaissance.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £191.00 Concession £155.00 - Arts of the empire-builders: Timurids, Safavids and Mughals Course start date: Thu 11 Jan 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Anita ChowdryPatronage under the Timurids, Safavids and Mughals marked a definitive period in the development of the arts and culture of the Islamic world. This course looks at the visual ‘brands’ that characterised these important empires.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £191.00 Concession £155.00 - An introduction to the art of seventeenth-century Europe: 1590–1690 Course start date: Mon 15 Jan 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Elizabeth EyresOften referred to as “the Baroque”, the seventeenth century embraces some of the most dramatic, dynamic and acclaimed artworks ever produced, yet also some of the most tranquil and gentle. We will explore a wide range of paintings and sculptures from this period, discover why they look as they do, and investigate the powerful religious and historical contexts that influenced its artists.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £149.00 - Styles in art: from medieval to modernCourse start date: Mon 15 Jan 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Leslie PrimoA survey of Western art from the Gothic to the Victorian age, discussing Renaissance, Mannerism, Baroque, Neoclassicism, Romanticism and Realism, and the ideas shaping each period.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £229.00 Concession £149.00 - Modern art: movements 1900-1950 Course start date: Tue 16 Jan 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Elizabeth EyresExplore art and culture in the early 20th century, focussing on the major developments and movements in art including Cubism, Abstraction, Dada and Surrealism and their relationship to wider cultural contexts.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £149.00 - Weird and wondrous: the strange art of Bosch, Brueghel and the Surrealists Course start date: Tue 16 Jan 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Emma Rose BarberWelcome to the weird and wonderful world of Hieronymus Bosch and Pieter Breughel the elder – two northern Renaissance artists and a larger group of 20th-century artists known as the Surrealists who share many similarities with the strange and curious subjects that they conjured up to ignite discussion and even outrage.Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £149.00 - An introduction to art history: methods and techniquesCourse start date: Sat 20 Jan 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Rachel SandersThis course is an introduction to Art History as an academic discipline. Students will study artworks from a variety of approaches, considering such aspects as formal analysis, material studies, and social, cultural and artistic contexts.Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £149.00 - German art 1910-1960: art, politics & culture in the wake of war Course start date: Thu 25 Jan 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Irina ChkhaidzeExplore 20th century German art and history, and the artistic responses to the impact of two world wars.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £229.00 Concession £149.00 - The history and meaning of portraiture Course 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.Full fee £229.00 - Art and critical analysis: Western European art under the microscope Course start date: Wed 17 Apr 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Leslie PrimoConcentrating on major works of art and significant artists across periods ranging from 1300 to 1900 and beyond this course we will study and explore the impact on the public’s appreciation of art and how that might be influenced by critical analysis including the vagaries of fashion.Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £149.00 - Art of the Northern Renaissance
Course start date: Thu 4 May 2023 (and 1 other date)Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Elizabeth EyresDiscover the exquisite art of the Northern Renaissance through the work of its most innovative artists, including Albrecht Dürer, Rogier van der Weyden, Jan van Eyck, Grünewald, Hieronymus Bosch and Pieter Bruegel the Elder.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £219.00
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