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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- Art in Britain 1950-2000 - 'This is Tomorrow' (Part 1)
Course start date: Fri 19 Sep 2025Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Chantal CondronDiscover the work of selected British artists whose innovative practice shaped the development of modern art in Britain from the 1950s to the 1970s. Explore how and why the ideas and themes behind their work continue to be relevant to today’s audiences. - National GalleryCourse start date: Wed 24 Sep 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Leslie PrimoDiscuss a differently themed group of paintings each week in front of the pictures. An opportunity to understand our national collection in greater depth.Full fee £299.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £194.00 - The art and culture of 17th century LondonCourse start date: Fri 26 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Julie BarlowDiscover the 17th century: a time of upheaval in Europe, intercontinental trade, religious schisms and a wide range of artistic styles. See its art, architecture and design in London’s galleries and museums. #arthistory #explorelondon #walkingtour.Full fee £299.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £194.00 - Friday lates: the art of satire - Brueghel and HogarthCourse start date: Fri 26 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayWhy laugh in a time turmoil? Explore how artists Pieter Brueghel the Elder and William Hogarth reflected on the hypocrisy of their times with scathing satire. Reflect on how studying historic comedy might shift our perspectives on the value of humour, past and present.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £19.00 - The foreign invention of British artCourse start date: Fri 26 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Leslie PrimoTrace the importance of foreigners to the British art scene from the Tudor period to the Baroque. How did artists like Holbein, Dobson, van Somer and van Dyck influence the British School?Full fee £259.00 Senior fee £207.00 Concession £168.00 - Introduction to art history Course start date: Mon 12 May 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
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.Full fee £249.00 Senior fee £249.00 Concession £162.00 - Icons and iconography of the Byzantine WorldCourse start date: Mon 29 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Helen DejeanExplore the imagery and significance of the sacred icon, from its classical origins and formulation within the Eastern church, its many interpretations within and beyond the Byzantine world, from the 4th century to the present day.Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £116.00 - 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 - Medieval and Renaissance art at the V&ACourse start date: Wed 1 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Andreas PetzoldExplore the one of the finest and most diverse collections of medieval and Renaissance art and material culture in the world at the V&A Museum.Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £116.00 - The beginnings of Impressionism: Millet and the Barbizon SchoolCourse start date: Wed 1 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Emma Rose BarberWho said the Impressionists were the first to paint ‘en plein air’? Get lost in wood and green and light and shade in the large forest of Fontainebleau near Paris and learn about a group of 19th-century painters who influenced the Impressionists in the art of painting landscape outside.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £103.00 Concession £84.00 - Colour in medieval artCourse start date: Thu 2 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Andreas PetzoldColour is an all pervasive and fundamental aspect of medieval art, but one that is largely neglected in art historical studies.This course looks at some of the main themes relating to colour such as symbolism, materials, theory and key developments.Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £116.00 - Study day: Millet, Manet & Courbet - revolutionaries of realismCourse start date: Sat 4 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Rachel SandersExplore Realism in the nineteenth century, focusing on Manet as its key example, considering such issues as social and political change, formal and subject developments, theoretic interests and artistic influences.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 - An introduction to art historyCourse start date: Wed 8 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Thomas BalfeArt history is much more than decoding secrets and symbols. It is about critical thinking and empathy, understanding how an artwork reflects an artist’s interpretation of their world, and what it says to you about our world now. This course is designed to build your confidence in understanding visual art of the Western tradition. It is designed for both the absolute beginner and those with some existing art historical knowledge.Full fee £259.00 Senior fee £259.00 Concession £168.00 - Friday lates: the art of the frame Course start date: Fri 10 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Julia MusgraveEvery picture tells a story, but what about the frame around it? Find out how picture frames can tell us more about the artworks they surround. - Introduction to contemporary art: ideas and originsCourse start date: Mon 13 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Christopher CollierEver wondered what's going on in the mind of contemporary artists? This course explores the ideas and historical background behind some of today’s most intriguing works, from Conceptualism and Video to Body Art and Installation.Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £179.00 Concession £116.00
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