Art history

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.

Courses available both in-person and online

Join us in the heart of London for in-person classes. Our modern campus in Covent Garden is easy to reach and buzzing with creativity. With modern purpose-built facilities and state-of-the-art equipment, it’s the perfect space to support your learning journey. Explore our facilities >

Prefer learning online? Our live online courses bring expert teaching to you, wherever you are.

Whether you choose to study in-person or online, all our courses are live, interactive, and taught by expert tutors. Wherever and however you want to learn, we’re here for you.

Courses available both in-person and online

We offer a range of long and short courses allowing you to choose between in-person and online learning.

Learn in the centre of London with our in-person courses. Our purpose-built facilities in Covent Garden mean we are ideally located and easy to get to. 

See our guide to online learning for more information about accessing our live online courses.

All our courses are live, interactive, and taught by expert tutors. No matter how you prefer to learn, we've got the class for you.

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  1. London's smaller galleries: Estorick Collection
    Course start date:  Tue 25 Feb 2025

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Tutors:  Julie Barlow
    Join us for an introduction to one of London's most interesting, small art collections, the Estorick Collection of modern Italian art. From the futurists to the 50s, we'll explore this distinct private collection held in a Grade II listed Georgian house,.
    Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £23.00 Concession £19.00
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  2. Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £103.00 Concession £84.00
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  3. Full fee £159.00 Senior fee £127.00 Concession £103.00
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  4. Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £23.00 Concession £19.00
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  5. Lunchtime lecture: Mother figure – how the cult of the Virgin Mary changed art
    Course start date:  Tue 11 Mar 2025

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Sarah Jaffray
    Join us to understand how one woman became one of the most represented figures in human history. We examine the development of the Virgin Mary in the late medieval period and how her humanity made her central to Christian practice and expansion.



    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 £7.00
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  6. Art & mysticism in 19th and 20th century Europe
    Course start date:  Tue 11 Mar 2025

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Emma Rose Barber
    Can a work of art be all touchy/feely and well… spiritual and mystical? We will explore what the words spiritual and mysticism mean in relation to art produced by 19th and 20th-century artists such as Wassily Kandinsky, Hilma af Klint, Georgaina Houghton, Piet Mondrian and Anna Cassell.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £103.00 Concession £84.00
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  7. Tuesday talks: Helen Chadwick – woman in revolt
    Course start date:  Tue 18 Mar 2025

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Chantal Condron
    Discover the work of British artist, Helen Chadwick (1953-1996) whose ground-breaking practice in sculpture, photography and installation art challenged media and public perceptions of women in society; and the female body. Exploring ideas of gender, identity and sexuality, Chadwick was significantly influential on a following generation of artists in Britain.



    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 £15.00 Concession £12.00
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  8. Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £10.00
    Rating:
    98% of 100
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  9. Tuesday talks: Donald Rodney and the BLK Art Group
    Course start date:  Tue 1 Apr 2025

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Sarah Jaffray
    An introduction to the BLK Art Group, an artistic and cultural movement begun in 1980s Wolverhampton that inspired a generation of British artists. Get to know some of its major artists (Claudette Johnson, Keith Piper, Sonia Boyce and Donald Rodney) and how they created a new art histories for Britain and beyond. This talk corresponds to a major exhibition of Donald Rodney’s work at the Whitechapel Gallery, on until 4th of May, 2025.



    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
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  10. Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £110.00
    Rating:
    98% of 100
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  11. Homes, houses and art in Europe: 1900-1960
    Course start date:  Tue 29 Apr 2025

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Emma Rose Barber
    Knock on the door of artists’ houses and studios from 1900-1960 to experience exciting and visually dazzling spaces created over the course of their careers. At a time when artists were beginning to forge their own brave new visual worlds, this course considers what the homes might tell us about the artists and how they wanted their homes to be seen. This is the second part of a series on Homes and Houses; it can also be taken without having done the previous course.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £103.00 Concession £84.00
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  12. Hell, Heaven and Purgatory in the Middle Ages
    Course start date:  Tue 29 Apr 2025

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Emma Rose Barber
    Why were images to do with the afterlife so prevalent in the Middle Ages? Come, face your eternal destinies and look at images such as the Last Judgement, skeletons, filthy flesh, worms, ghosts and Hell mouths.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £103.00 Concession £84.00
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  13. Full fee £249.00 Senior fee £199.00 Concession £162.00
    Rating:
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  14. Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £103.00 Concession £84.00
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  15. Lunchtime lecture: Ithell Colquhoun - mystical surrealist
    Course start date:  Tue 3 Jun 2025

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Sarah Jaffray
    An introduction to the art of Ithell Colquhoun from her academic days at the Slade to her mystical landscapes in Cornwall. We explore her subject matter, artistic process and her surrealist tendencies.



    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 £7.00
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