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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- Image and identity: 20th century Chinese art and cinemaCourse start date: Wed 1 Feb 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Meitao QuExplore the art of Chinese artists and filmmakers from the turn of the 20th century to the turn of the 21st, as they try to make sense of a world on the cusp between the old and the new, marked by encounters with imperialism and iconoclasm. Learn what place art had in socio-political movements, and how it reflected the hopes and anxieties of its time.
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 £109.00 Concession £71.00 - Friday lates: Jean-Michel Basquiat: painting historyCourse start date: Fri 3 Feb 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayExplore how Jean-Michel Basquiat used art history, from Ancient Africa to Abstract Expressionism, to dialogue with contemporary culture and issues of racism, money and fame.
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 - Lunchtime lecture: Winter Sun: Nancy Holt's land artCourse start date: Wed 8 Feb 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayJoin us for an introduction to the work of Nancy Holt, one of the foundational figures of the land art movement.
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 £8.00 Concession £7.00 - Art history tasterCourse start date: Wed 18 Jan 2023 (and 4 other dates)
Location on this date: Online (other locations are available)
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 - Art in medieval EnglandCourse start date: Tue 21 Feb 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Richard PlantThis course will explore the painting, sculpture and especially architecture of Medieval England Focussing mainly on the period following the Norman Conquest, we will discuss the developments in architecture in England and works of sculpture and painting.Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £139.00 Concession £90.00 - Women in art 1800-1900Course start date: Tue 21 Feb 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Elizabeth EyresDuring the 19th century female painters and sculptors gained greater prominence, although a career in art was still challenging for women artists. In this course we examine their work and how such progress was achieved.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £111.00 Concession £90.00 - Arts of the golden age of the Ottoman EmpireCourse start date: Wed 22 Feb 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Anita ChowdryLooking at how the vision of the Ottoman Sultans was crafted from diverse sources during a period of maximum growth, this course will focus on the architecture, arts and crafts of the early Ottoman Empire.
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 - Curating and collecting contemporary art in the UKCourse start date: Wed 22 Feb 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Chantal CondronHave you ever wondered how works of art and cultural objects have been collected for public museums and galleries in Britain? Who collected these objects? What functions have public collections played in society? Why ‘collect for the nation’?Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £139.00 Concession £90.00 - Renaissance art: making, locating and viewingCourse start date: Wed 22 Feb 2023
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Emma Rose BarberThis 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 £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £110.00 - Art in 15th-century SienaCourse start date: Thu 23 Feb 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Emma Rose BarberExplore the art, society and geography of 15th century Siena, the picturesque Tuscan republic. Expand your knowledge of the Italian Renaissance beyond the borders of Florence by studying one of its worthy artistic, political and intellectual rivals.Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £111.00 Concession £90.00 - Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £110.00
- Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00
- The Bloomsbury Group - art & designCourse start date: Tue 28 Feb 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Julia MusgraveThey lived in squares and loved in triangles. Discover the art and influence of the Bloomsbury Group, through the work of their key artists: Vanessa Bell, Roger Fry and Duncan Grant.
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 - Art and revolution: in the long 18th centuryCourse start date: Wed 1 Mar 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayFrom the absolute monarch to the beheaded king, discover how artists contributed to the cultural revolutions of the ‘long 18th century’ (1630s-1800). We explore how shifts in artistic style and subject matter reflected dramatic social change. Through reading the philosophy of the age we uncover how this era’s complex notions of beauty and justice still impact art and society today.Full fee £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £123.00 - Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £111.00 Concession £90.00
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