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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- Islamic art in the medieval worldCourse start date: Thu 21 Sep 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Anita ChowdryA course examining the formation and development of Islamic Art and Design; looking at the role of ideology and patronage, and the key influences that went into its development and evolution.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £239.00 - Art in Britain 1950-2000 - 'This is Tomorrow' (Part 1)Course start date: Thu 21 Sep 2023
Location 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.Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £95.00 Concession £77.00 - Looking at paintingsCourse 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 - Avant-garde women: art innovations of the 20th & 21st centuriesCourse start date: Thu 12 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Irina ChkhaidzeDiscover the work of prominent modern and contemporary women artists from the early twentieth century to the present, looking at the political and social transformations reflected in the artworks.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £179.00 - Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £97.00
- The beginnings of Impressionism: the Barbizon SchoolCourse start date: Thu 23 Nov 2023
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 £99.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £64.00 - A history of colour in European artCourse start date: Thu 11 Jan 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Andreas PetzoldColour is one of the most pervasive elements in art but one that is rarely the subject of art historical discussion. We explore the part colour played in artistic developments, technical skill and material, as well as colour theory.Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £97.00 - Arts of the empire-builders: Timurids, Safavids and MughalsCourse start date: Thu 11 Jan 2024
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 £239.00 Senior fee £191.00 Concession £155.00 - Art in Britain 1950-2000 – 'This is Tomorrow' (part 2)Course start date: Thu 11 Jan 2024
Location 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 2000. Explore how and why the ideas and themes behind their work continue to be relevant to today’s audiences.Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £95.00 Concession £77.00 - German art 1910-1960: art, politics & culture in the wake of warCourse start date: Thu 25 Jan 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Irina ChkhaidzeExplore 20th century German art and history, and the artistic responses to the impact of two world wars.
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 £229.00 Concession £149.00 - Art and environment in Ice Age EuropeCourse start date: Thu 25 Jan 2024
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 £119.00 Senior fee £95.00 Concession £77.00 - Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £116.00
- Copies & copyists in antiquity: art, beauty and misunderstandingCourse start date: Thu 29 Feb 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Simone ChisenaExplore the often-overlooked world of ancient copies and copyists, how their work helped to save art treasures for the future and how it impacts on our modern perception of the Ancient World.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - European ceramics and glass in the V&A: an introductionCourse start date: Thu 18 Apr 2024
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Andreas PetzoldThe Victoria and Albert Museum has one of the finest and most comprehensive collections of European decorative arts in the world. This course aims to provide an introduction to these rich collections. It will focus on the period 1500 to 1900, but references later developments. The main media will be explored including textiles, ceramics, glass, metalwork, and silver.Full fee £89.00 Senior fee £71.00 Concession £58.00 - Makers not muses: Claude Cahun, Eileen Agar and Isabel RawsthorneCourse start date: Thu 25 Apr 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Chantal CondronExplore the work of three radical artists whose work and practice defied convention in modern art from the 1920s to 1960s. Discover how each artist challenged and transcended society’s expectations of being a ‘muse’ by living freely and making art in a variety of media, from painting and sculpture to collage, photography and performance.
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
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