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 history of Western art in 100 paintings
Course start date: Thu 22 Sep 2022Location on this date: Blended (learn both online and in-person)
Tutors: Julia MusgraveA chronological introduction to Western art from c.1250 to the present day, taught by looking at artworks in London’s galleries, and related materials.
This course will be delivered online and in person. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £559.00 Senior fee £447.00 Concession £363.00 - Manuscripts and illuminationCourse start date: Tue 10 Jan 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Richard PlantExplore the techniques and styles used in producing manuscripts, from their earliest appearance to the 16th century. We'll consider the ways in which manuscripts were used and ask why such lavish attention was paid to them.Full fee £109.00 Senior fee £87.00 Concession £71.00 - European architecture in the Middle Ages 800-1500Course start date: Tue 10 Jan 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Richard PlantExplore the development of architecture in Europe from the Carolingian period to the end of the middle ages and study the major monuments – cathedrals, parish churches and castles of the age.Full fee £109.00 Senior fee £109.00 Concession £71.00 - The art of the Burgundian Netherlands c. 1360-1480Course start date: Tue 10 Jan 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Julia MusgraveExplore how the extravagant lifestyle of the Burgundian court provided opportunities for an opulent Burgundian style to be developed and disseminated across Europe in the late middle ages and into the renaissance.
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 - Art and memoryCourse start date: Wed 11 Jan 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Mark Stuart-SmithHow have artists since 1960 engaged with the recent history and memory of political conflict? What role have artists had in remembering a difficult or traumatic past? What are the connections between memory and national identity in their work?
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 £139.00 Concession £90.00 - The Renaissance revisitedCourse start date: Wed 11 Jan 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Lydia GoodsonExplore the Renaissance art and architecture of some of the lesser known Italian cities; Mantua, Urbino, Perugia, Ferrara and Spoleto.
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 - Arts of the empire-builders: Timurids, Safavids and MughalsCourse start date: Thu 12 Jan 2023
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 £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £149.00 - Art in Britain 1950-2000 – 'This is Tomorrow' (part 2)Course start date: Thu 12 Jan 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Chantal CondronDiscover the work of selected British artists whose innovative practice shaped the development of modern art in Britain from the 1950s to 2000. Explore how and why the ideas and themes behind their work continue to be relevant to today’s audiences.
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 - Art and environment in Ice Age EuropeCourse start date: Thu 12 Jan 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Simone ChisenaDiscover the artistic treasures of our most remote past, when our ancestors in the Ice Age created beautiful cave paintings and astounding sculpted works.
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 - Introduction to Latin American artCourse start date: Fri 13 Jan 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayExplore the art of Latin America from indigenous cultures to colonisation and through the revolutions of the 20th and 21st centuries.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £159.00 Senior fee £127.00 Concession £103.00 - Introduction to the art of art history - part 1Course start date: Sat 14 Jan 2023
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 £269.00 Senior fee £215.00 Concession £175.00 - Looking at sculptureCourse start date: Sat 14 Jan 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Rachel SandersStudy sculptures from the Classical to the Post-Modern era, including work by Donatello, Bernini, Canova, Rodin, Picasso and Whiteread, considering styles, materials and techniques of works within social and cultural contexts.Full fee £109.00 Senior fee £87.00 Concession £71.00 - Art in the 1920s and 1930s: Western art between the warsCourse start date: Mon 16 Jan 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayDiscover how art in Europe and America between the wars reacted to the culture of the times. Explore the experimental world of Surrealism, Constructivism, de Stijl and other political art and abstract art of the era.Full fee £109.00 Senior fee £87.00 Concession £71.00 - Art in Britain 1918-1945 - the Interwar years and WWIICourse start date: Mon 16 Jan 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Julia MusgraveExplore the art of British modern artists and their relationship to the art of continental Europe 1918–1950. Who led developments and how does the art of the period reflect the times?Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £111.00 Concession £90.00 - Modern art: movements 1900-1950Course start date: Tue 17 Jan 2023
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
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