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.

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Courses available both in-person and online

We offer a range of courses allowing you to choose between online and in-person learning. 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. See our guide to online learning for more information about accessing our live online courses.

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  1. Friday lates: Lubaina Himid – longing and belonging
    ONLINE
    Course start date:  Fri 28 Apr 2023

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Chantal Condron
    This Friday evening art history course spotlights the work of artist Lubaina Himid, one of Britain's most thought provoking artists.



    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
    Rating:
    100% of 100
  2. Contemporary art in London
    Course start date:  Fri 28 Apr 2023

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Tutors:  Chantal Condron
    Explore and discuss contemporary art on show in London. Each week we’ll visit 1-2 commercial galleries or a public gallery and examine specific exhibitions of contemporary art across a range of media including painting, works on paper, photography, new media and sculpture.
    Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £103.00 Concession £84.00
    Rating:
    90% of 100
  3. Focus on: fashion in 16th century art
    Course start date:  Fri 28 Apr 2023

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Julie Barlow
    Do you know your codpiece from your farthingale? Why did the ruff become so fashionable? How do we identify figures in narrative and religious art? This short course explores the fascinating world of costume in 16th century European painting. Explore the socio-political context behind portraiture, how fashion was employed to convey status, and the impact of developments in textiles and trade.
    Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00
  4. Friday lates: the body as image and material in 20th century art
    Evening, ONLINE
    Course start date:  Fri 28 Apr 2023

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Irina Chkhaidze
    Explore the representation of body and body-related practices by prominent modern and contemporary artists of the twentieth century.



    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
  5. Visionary experiments: American art of the 1940s and 50s
    ONLINE
    Course start date:  Fri 5 May 2023

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Sarah Jaffray
    Explore American art during and just after World War II. From abstraction expressionism to social justice in photography and printmaking see how the US's unique context created the foundation for experimental and transgressive art.



    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
  6. Introduction to Tate Britain
    Last Few Places
    Course start date:  Fri 5 May 2023

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Tutors:  Chantal Condron
    Each week, we'll explore a different aspect of the permanent collection at Tate Britain, looking at artworks from the 16th to the 21st centuries. This course is gallery based.
    Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £110.00
    Rating:
    100% of 100
  7. Private portraits: painted miniatures in early modern Europe
    Course start date:  Fri 5 May 2023

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Elizabeth Eyres
    Portrait miniatures are some of the most exquisite and beguiling likenesses ever produced. Their tiny scale and painstaking creation give them an intricacy, intimacy and sense of intrigue. These often reflect the circumstances in which they were gifted to their new owners by the person commissioning them, and both the images and their wider contexts repay our close study on this course.
    Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £64.00
  8. London's smaller art collections
    Course start date:  Fri 3 Mar 2023 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Tutors:  Julie Barlow
    Discover some of London’s fascinating smaller art collections and hidden art treasures on this gallery-based course.
    Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £110.00
    Rating:
    98% of 100
  9. Friday lates: 'the future is now', an introduction to video art
    ONLINE
    Course start date:  Fri 9 Jun 2023

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Irina Chkhaidze
    Explore the early history of video art, its rise as a medium and its significance as a contemporary art practice. We focus on the influential video works from the 1960s-1980s.



    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
  10. 'We're still here': new contemporary painting in the UK
    ONLINE
    Course start date:  Fri 9 Jun 2023

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Chantal Condron
    Living in a digital age, is contemporary painting ‘redundant'? This four week course explores how alive and kicking contemporary painting is in Britain. Discover how exciting, new UK-based artists use both experimental and traditional painting approaches to address issues of identity, history and personal experience.



    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
    Rating:
    100% of 100
  11. Art in 1920s Paris
    Course start date:  Fri 9 Jun 2023

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Sarah Jaffray
    Explore 1920s Paris from the perspective of experimental art movements. From textile design to surrealism, abstraction to neo-classicism we look at how the city of Paris was an active collaborator in the art of the era.
    Full fee £109.00 Senior fee £87.00 Concession £71.00
  12. The Norwich School - a unique society of landscape painters
    ONLINE
    Course start date:  Fri 9 Jun 2023

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Elizabeth Eyres
    On this course you will study the fascinating work of the 19th century Norwich School, a loose association of generations of painters from artistic families who worked in Norwich, Norfolk, one of the most important and wealthy regional capitals of the day. You will explore the beautiful landscapes produced by these artists and also discover work produced by remarkable women in the group.



    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
  13. Friday late: Agnes Martin - pioneer, painter, icon
    Evening, ONLINE
    Course start date:  Fri 16 Jun 2023

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Henry Martin
    This course examines the unconventional life and artworks of Agnes Martin (1912–2004), regarded as one of the great artists of the Twentieth Century. Topics covered include Abstract Expressionism, Minimalism, LGBTQ artists, and the role of the biography in Art History.



    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

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