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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- Modern art: movements 1850-1900
Course start date: Tue 26 Sep 2023Location 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: Fri 29 Sep 2023 (and 3 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Thomas BalfeAre 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.Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £149.00 - A sense of place: Constable’s HampsteadCourse start date: Tue 3 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Marilyn GreeneExplore Georgian and Regency Hampstead walking in the footsteps of John Constable and seeing places he painted and quotes about his thoughts and feelings on Hampstead and his art.Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £8.00 Concession £7.00 - Art history taster Course start date: Mon 11 Sep 2023 (and 15 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.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £10.00 - Constable and the British landscape traditionCourse start date: Tue 17 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Marilyn GreeneDiscover the development of the British Landscape tradition from the 18th and 19th centuries. The Victoria and Albert Museum has the largest collection of John Constable sketches in the world, and we will discuss the works on display in detail and compare with works by J.W.M Turner and other artists on display.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00 - London's smaller art collections Course start date: Tue 31 Oct 2023 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Julie BarlowDiscover some of London’s fascinating smaller art collections and hidden art treasures on this gallery-based art history course.Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £116.00 - Art & warCourse start date: Tue 31 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Elizabeth EyresArt representing issues of war, conflict and revolution is usually either an expression of triumph or loss. But who decides? What is such art for and what can it hope to achieve? Attitudes to war have changed significantly and this course considers responses to conflict in painting, sculpture, photography, performance art and architecture spanning the globe and across different eras.
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 £95.00 Concession £77.00 - Twenty-four modern & contemporary artists you should know Course start date: Tue 7 Nov 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Francesca CavalloLook in depth at four artists a week across a series of themes from alienation to post-conceptualism. What links can be made between artists of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and where is art heading?
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information. - 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. - Introduction to the Wallace Collection Course start date: Tue 19 Sep 2023 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Julie BarlowEach week, we'll explore a different aspect of the Wallace Collection looking at its fine and decorative art objects, including paintings, furniture, porcelain and even arms and armour.Full fee £109.00 Senior fee £87.00 Concession £71.00 - 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. - Women in art 1800-1900 Course start date: Tue 16 Jan 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Elizabeth EyresDuring the 19th century female painters and sculptors gained greater prominence, although a career in art was still challenging for women artists. In this course we examine their work and how such progress was achieved.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information. - Arts of Imperial ChinaCourse start date: Tue 30 Jan 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Meitao QuExplore the arts of imperial China spanning across 13 dynasties and 2000 years. Study how painting, sculpture, and architecture were deeply shaped by its richly diverse culture, philosophy, and religion.
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 £79.00 Concession £64.00 - Cabinets to White Cubes: a history of collecting art in the UKCourse start date: Tue 20 Feb 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Chantal CondronHave you ever wondered how works of art and cultural objects have been collected for public museums and galleries in Britain? Who collected these objects? What functions have public collections played in society? Why ‘collect for the nation’?
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 £119.00 Concession £97.00 - Introduction to Tate Modern
Course start date: Tue 20 Feb 2024Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayExplore different aspects of the permanent collection of Tate Modern by looking at the work of modern and contemporary artists in painting, video, sculpture and mixed media installations.
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