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.
- Image and identity: 20th century Chinese art and cinemaCourse start date: Wed 1 Feb 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Meitao QuExplore the art of Chinese artists and filmmakers from the turn of the 20th century to the turn of the 21st, as they try to make sense of a world on the cusp between the old and the new, marked by encounters with imperialism and iconoclasm. Learn what place art had in socio-political movements, and how it reflected the hopes and anxieties of its time.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £109.00 Senior fee £109.00 Concession £71.00 - Friday lates: Jean-Michel Basquiat: painting historyCourse start date: Fri 3 Feb 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayExplore how Jean-Michel Basquiat used art history, from Ancient Africa to Abstract Expressionism, to dialogue with contemporary culture and issues of racism, money and fame.
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 - Lunchtime lecture: Winter Sun: Nancy Holt's land artCourse start date: Wed 8 Feb 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayJoin us for an introduction to the work of Nancy Holt, one of the foundational figures of the land art movement.
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 £8.00 Concession £7.00 - Art history tasterCourse start date: Wed 18 Jan 2023 (and 4 other dates)
Location on this date: Online (other locations are available)
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 - Women in art 1800-1900Course start date: Tue 21 Feb 2023
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.Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £111.00 Concession £90.00 - Arts of the golden age of the Ottoman EmpireCourse start date: Wed 22 Feb 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Anita ChowdryLooking at how the vision of the Ottoman Sultans was crafted from diverse sources during a period of maximum growth, this course will focus on the architecture, arts and crafts of the early Ottoman Empire.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £109.00 Senior fee £87.00 Concession £71.00 - Velázquez, painter to the KingCourse start date: Sat 25 Feb 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Mark Stuart-SmithInvestigate the work of the Spanish painter Diego Velázquez, including enigmatic paintings such as Las Meninas (1656), and learn about how his art relates to his political role as court painter to Philip IV.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - The Bloomsbury Group - art & designCourse start date: Tue 28 Feb 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Julia MusgraveThey lived in squares and loved in triangles. Discover the art and influence of the Bloomsbury Group, through the work of their key artists: Vanessa Bell, Roger Fry and Duncan Grant.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £109.00 Senior fee £87.00 Concession £71.00 - Representing nature in early modern EuropeCourse start date: Fri 3 Mar 2023
Location on this date: Online
Explore the links between the visual image and ideas of nature in early modernity (c.1500-1750). At this time, tools like the microscope were visualising nature in new ways, changes were afoot in how humans related to animals, and the environments of Asia and the Americas were becoming more familiar to Europeans. We will focus on how artists and skilled artisans engaged with these subjects.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £109.00 Senior fee £87.00 Concession £71.00 - Friday lates: the art of zinesCourse start date: Fri 3 Mar 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Christopher CollierUnderground passions and radical imagery have defined so-called fanzines for over 80 years. From the earliest examples to today, we explore their content, technique and the relation of DIY culture to wider artistic practices.
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 - Focus on: David HockneyCourse start date: Sun 5 Mar 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Julie BarlowIn 2011 David Hockney was voted most influential British artist of all time in a poll of over 1000 artists. Explore how Hockney’s career as painter, photographer and writer has evolved over six decades.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - Animals in Renaissance artCourse start date: Mon 6 Mar 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Lydia GoodsonBeasts are everywhere in the art of the Renaissance. Discover why they are there and how artists created the painted and sculpted menageries of both real and imaginary creatures that populate Renaissance art.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 - Lunchtime lecture: rethinking Mary CassattCourse start date: Thu 9 Mar 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayJoin us for an exploration of the art of Mary Cassatt: feminist, independent, painter of women in the world.
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 £8.00 Concession £7.00 - Friday lates: Paula Rego – fairy tales and forbidden thingsCourse start date: Fri 10 Mar 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Chantal CondronDiscover the work of one of Britain’s best loved artists, whose paintings of vivid interior and private drama draw on her early years growing up in Portugal under the repressive Catholic dictatorship of General Salazar.
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 - Purchasing power: patronage and art buying in the Italian RenaissanceCourse start date: Sun 12 Mar 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Lydia GoodsonDiscover the back-story of 'how art works come to be' by learning about the patronage and production of artworks in Renaissance Italy.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00
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