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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- Textiles: an international history
Course start date: Fri 29 Sep 2023Location 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 £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £116.00 - Looking at paintings Course start date: Fri 29 Sep 2023 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Julia MusgraveLook at masterpieces in major London galleries in this introduction to European painting. Explore different painting techniques and genres (landscape, portrait and history painting) for a basic understanding and increased enjoyment of Western art.Full fee £249.00 Senior fee £199.00 Concession £162.00 - Introduction to art history Course start date: Fri 29 Sep 2023 (and 3 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Thomas BalfeAre 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 £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £149.00 - Colour in medieval art Course start date: Fri 6 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Online
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.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £95.00 Concession £77.00 - Contemporary art in London Course start date: Fri 6 Oct 2023 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Chantal CondronExplore 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 £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £116.00 - Art history taster Course start date: Mon 11 Sep 2023 (and 15 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
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 - Lunchtime lecture: sanctuary in the city - public art by refugees and immigrants in the cityCourse start date: Fri 8 Dec 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Marilyn GreeneCome on a virtual tour of public art through the City of London created by Refugees and Immigrants. We will explore artworks such as the 17th century carvings on the Monument and a Victorian plaques relocated on to the post Modern Number One Poultry by economic immigrants to the country as well as looking at mainly works by 20th century artists from refugee backgrounds who were either commissioned to make art works for site specific places or their works have been bought or moved to their locations.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £15.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £10.00 - Introduction to the V&A Course start date: Fri 29 Sep 2023 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Julia MusgraveExplore the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum. We visit different galleries each week looking at the decorative arts, paintings and the transfer of design ideas across the centuries.Full fee £249.00 Senior fee £199.00 Concession £162.00 - The art and culture of 18th century London Course start date: Fri 12 Jan 2024
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Elizabeth EyresExplore Georgian painting, sculpture and architecture, and consider them within the context of the history and culture of the 18th century exploring museums, galleries and other places in London. - Global arts of AfricaCourse start date: Fri 19 Jan 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Thomas BalfeThis course introduces major forms of African art in their regional and global contexts. It studies classical traditions of carving, metal casting, architecture and textile arts as well as twentieth-century and contemporary developments, including the work of photographers and conceptual artists.Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £116.00 - Looking at contemporary art Course start date: Fri 23 Feb 2024
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Chantal CondronExplore 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. - Representing nature in early modern Europe
Course start date: Fri 23 Feb 2024Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Thomas BalfeExplore 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.Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £95.00 Concession £77.00 - Lunchtime lecture: Angelica Kauffmann, Neo-Classical womanCourse start date: Fri 8 Mar 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayDiscover how Neo-Classical womanhood was developed in the art of Angelica Kauffman.
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 - Origins of the Italian Renaissance: The PrimitiviCourse start date: Fri 19 Apr 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Simone ChisenaDiscover the history, politics and intellectualism that fuelled the Italian Renaissance. Explore the art of Giotto and his peers from a new perspective.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £97.00 - Visionary experiments: American art of the 1940s and 50sCourse start date: Fri 26 Apr 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayExplore 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.Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £95.00 Concession £77.00
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