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

We offer a range of long and short 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.

Filters

Items 1-15 of 39

Page
per page
Set Descending Direction
  1. Lunchtime lecture: The Other Story – introducing the BLK Art Group
    Course start date:  Wed 4 Oct 2023

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Sarah Jaffray
    Get to know the ground-breaking art and ideas of the BLK Art Group, the early 1980s art and activist community whose work still shapes our conversations about art and culture in the UK today.



    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
  2. Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £10.00
    Rating:
    98% of 100
  3. Spanish Art 1900-1937: the age of Picasso, Miró and Dalí
    Evening
    Course start date:  Wed 1 Nov 2023

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Mark Stuart-Smith
    Reflecting a 'silver age' of literature, art in Spain before the Civil war encompasses the modernist genius of Picasso, Juan Gris and Miró; the surrealism of Dalí and the late Impressionism of Joaquín Sorolla.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £179.00 Concession £116.00
  4. Lunchtime lecture: Judith Leyster & Frans Hals – a Haarlem rivalry
    Course start date:  Wed 1 Nov 2023

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Sarah Jaffray
    Explore the art world of the 17th century Netherlands through the artistic ‘rivalry’ of Judith Leyster and Frans Hals in the city of Haarlem.



    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
  5. Ways into advanced art history: beauty & form
    Course start date:  Wed 1 Nov 2023

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Sarah Jaffray
    Develop a greater understanding of art history and how to analyse the cultural meaning of an artwork by going in-depth with the ideas of prominent art historians. This course explores the complex links between art and beauty, quality and cultural value by reading the work art historians and analysing ‘beautiful’ artworks from the ancient to the present day.
    Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £97.00
  6. Still life in the history of art: opulence and fragility
    Course start date:  Wed 8 Nov 2023

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Elizabeth Eyres
    Still-life paintings usually represent ordinary things, often small and arranged on an indoor surface, without human presence. Long regarded in western art as the lowliest subject or “genre”, one that only required technical skill rather than imagination, still lifes are now considered some of the most charming and best loved paintings and can contain intriguing meanings that repay close study.



    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
  7. Renaissance art: making, locating and viewing
    Course start date:  Wed 8 Nov 2023

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Tutors:  Emma Rose Barber
    This course explores the Making, the Locating and the Viewing of Renaissance paintings in the collection of the National Gallery. This course takes place at the National Gallery.
    Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £116.00
  8. Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £116.00
    Rating:
    100% of 100
  9. Lunchtime lecture: angels in art
    Course start date:  Wed 13 Dec 2023

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Emma Rose Barber
    Angels have always made their mark – wings and all. And this course will explore painted and carved angels in western art in all their ways and fashions, from the archangels to Christmas angels to those just flying in to say hello.



    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
  10. Art and empire: in the early modern era
    Course start date:  Wed 10 Jan 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Emma Rose Barber
    Study the art of the Dutch Golden Age from 1600 to 1750 looking at the luxurious, tactile paintings of domestic life and landscape of this gloriously rich period in art. Consider the role that commerce, travel and trade played in how these paintings were made and through critical analysis of texts, try and evaluate the validity of the term ‘Golden Age’.
    Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00
    Rating:
    87% of 100
  11. Lunchtime lecture: Cezanne - from aspiring Impressionist to Post-Impressionist revolutionary
    Course start date:  Wed 10 Jan 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Julia Musgrave
    Explore the development of Cezanne revolutionary approach to painting, his techniques and motifs and some of the many artists whose work he influenced.



    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
Page
per page
Set Descending Direction

Can't see a course you want?

Add this category to your waiting list to set up alerts and we will update you when new courses are released online.

Add me to waiting list