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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- A day at the V&A: an introduction to the collections
Course start date: Mon 19 May 2025 (and 2 other dates)Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Elizabeth EyresSpend a fascinating day at the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum exploring a range of galleries. We shall be looking at the decorative arts, paintings, sculpture and design from across the world and across the centuries in this remarkable museum.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 - Art for social change: introducing the photography of Gordon ParksCourse start date: Tue 3 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayAn introduction to the photography of Gordon Parks and its significant impact on social justice in the United States. We’ll develop Parks’s biography before looking at some of his famous photo-essays for Life and Ebony Magazines in the 1940s and 50s.
Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £7.00 - London's smaller art collections Course start date: Tue 10 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Julie BarlowExplore and discuss contemporary art on show in London. Each week we’ll visit 1-2 commercial galleries or a public gallery and examine specific exhibitions of contemporary art across a range of media including painting, works on paper, photography, new media and sculpture. - Printmaking in Europe 1400-1920: from Dürer to MunchCourse start date: Tue 10 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Caroline RaeDuring the course we will learn about the materials and techniques of printmaking including woodcut, etching, engraving and aquatint, and engage with prints by some of the most innovative printmakers of the era (Dürer, Rembrandt, Goya and Munch). We will consider prints in relation to several key themes including religion, colonialism, nationhood, and artistic practice, authorship and expression.
Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £103.00 Concession £84.00 - Costume and fashion in art Course start date: Tue 10 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Julie BarlowCostume from the past rarely survives, except in the depiction of it in paintings. Explore 500 years of costume in European art across a range of subject matter and decode the socio-political contexts and cultural identities contained within the choice of dress. This course takes place in London-area museums. - Art history taster Course start date: Tue 1 Jul 2025 (and 7 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayCurious about art history? Join us for this taster session where we explore different ways into visual art and its histories from the ancient to the contemporary.Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £10.00 - Textiles: an international historyCourse start date: Tue 30 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Elizabeth EyresAs well as expressing power, prestige and fulfilling symbolic functions, textiles have been intimately linked to the everyday lives of members all societies for millennia. On this course you will study the development of woven, printed and embroidered textiles of many kinds from around the globe and explore the significant roles they have played in the world’s material culture.Full fee £219.00 Senior fee £175.00 Concession £142.00 - A history of art in 100 objectsCourse start date: Tue 7 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayWhat is art history? How can better a better understanding of the subject help us to better connect with art made by fellow humans? Explore these big questions of historical significance, socio-cultural impact and artistic process by studying a history of art in some of London’s greatest museums. - Art in ancient and medieval SaharaCourse start date: Tue 14 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Anita ChowdryIn this course we shall explore the Ancient and Medieval history of the Sahara and the Sahel, its cultural synergies, and the interactions of its kingdoms with the Mediterranean world, from the first millennium BC. to the 14th century CE.Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £97.00 - Textiles at the V&ACourse start date: Tue 2 Dec 2025
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Elizabeth EyresThis session takes place in the V&A’s remarkable collection. It can be taken as a stand-alone visit (no previous knowledge required, all welcome) or a final lesson for the seven-week online course VB699 Textiles: An International History. You will see a wide range of woven, printed and embroidered cloth from around the globe and explore the roles these have played in the world’s material culture.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 - Women in art: 1900-1960 Course start date: Tue 29 Apr 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Elizabeth EyresOn this course we shall explore and examine the considerable, and significant, contributions of women painters and sculptors to the avant-garde art world during the first half of the 20th century. - Art of the Northern Renaissance Course start date: Tue 29 Apr 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
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. - London's hidden art and architecture Course start date: Tue 29 Apr 2025
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Julie BarlowUncover a whole new side of London, from Roman times to the present day through a series of walks and visits to art galleries and historic sites.
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