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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- London's smaller art collectionsCourse start date: Wed 7 Jun 2023 (and 3 other dates)
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Julie BarlowDiscover some of London’s fascinating smaller art collections and hidden art treasures on this gallery-based art history course.Full fee £169.00 - Representing nature in early modern EuropeCourse start date: Wed 14 Jun 2023 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
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.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £109.00 - Snapshot Queers: Nan Goldin and Wolfgang TillmansCourse start date: Wed 28 Jun 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Henry MartinThis course explores how photographers Nan Goldin (b. 1953) and Wolfgang Tillmans (b. 1968) employ the aesthetic of the snapshot to document queer communities, with a focus on their early careers and unique installation and photographic practices.
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 - Art and critical theory: rethinking 'nature'Course start date: Wed 28 Jun 2023 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Irina ChkhaidzeExplore the role of critical theory within the field of art history, and learn new ways of thinking about art by focusing on how recent authors have been rethinking our understanding of nature.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £99.00 - A culture of luxury: ancient China and modern fantasiesCourse start date: Wed 28 Jun 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Meitao QuExplore the material culture of imperial China and its influence on modern and contemporary visual cultures.
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 - Art history tasterCourse start date: Wed 6 Dec 2023 (and 17 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 - Lunchtime lecture: Berthe Morisot's Impressionist groupCourse start date: Wed 13 Sep 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayLook at the work of Berthe Morisot in relation to her peers – her similarities and her difference. Examine how her distinct style developed as part of being an Impressionist.
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 - Art and memoryCourse start date: Wed 20 Sep 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Mark Stuart-SmithHow have artists since 1960 engaged with the recent history and memory of political conflict? What role have artists had in remembering a difficult or traumatic past? What are the connections between memory and national identity in their work?
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 £149.00 Concession £97.00 - Lunchtime lecture: Vincent van Gogh - London, Paris, and JapanCourse start date: Wed 27 Sep 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Julia MusgraveFollow Vincent van Gogh from London to Paris in the late 19th century and discover the artistic influences and friendships that informed his art.
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 - Art and identity: from the High Renaissance to the ReformationCourse start date: Wed 4 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Emma Rose BarberExplore the legendary art and artists of the High Renaissance in Italy and the Netherlands from c. 1490-1540. Consider the role that ‘self-fashioning’ plays in their fame and notoriety through close reading engagement of a combination of images and texts. Please note that the first session of this course will be held online due to rail strikes on 5 October. All subsequent sessions will be held in-person.Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £116.00 - Full fee £579.00 Senior fee £463.00 Concession £376.00
- Lunchtime lecture: The Other Story – introducing the BLK Art GroupCourse start date: Wed 11 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayGet 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 - The mirror of nature: art and culture in the 17th centuryCourse start date: Wed 18 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Leslie PrimoThe 17th century produced some of the greatest artists of all time: Rubens, Rembrandt, Velazquez and Bernini to name but a few. Explore the work of these key artists and understand the history, styles and ideas that shaped the century.Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £97.00 - National GalleryCourse start date: Wed 18 Oct 2023 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Leslie PrimoDiscuss a differently themed group of paintings each week in front of the pictures. An opportunity to understand our national collection in greater depth.Full fee £249.00 - Spanish Art 1900-1937: the age of Picasso, Miró and DalíCourse start date: Wed 1 Nov 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Mark Stuart-SmithReflecting 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
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