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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- 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 - Medieval and Renaissance art at the V&A
Course start date: Thu 23 Feb 2023Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Andreas PetzoldExplore the one of the finest and most diverse collections of medieval and Renaissance art and material culture in the world at the V&A Museum.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £110.00 - 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 - A stroll through British art: 1500-1850Course start date: Wed 8 Mar 2023
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Elizabeth EyresOn this informal gallery-based course you will explore and discuss the history and characteristics of British art from the 16th century to the mid-19th century. The course will take place offsite at both the National Gallery and Tate Britain.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £110.00 - London's hidden art and architecture, part IICourse start date: Wed 19 Apr 2023
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Julie BarlowUncover a whole new side of London, from Roman times to the present day through a series of walks and visits to art galleries and historic sites.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £110.00 - Art and melancholy: from the Enlightenment to the Victorian ageCourse start date: Wed 26 Apr 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Emma Rose BarberStudy the art of the period from c.1750-1880 considering Romanticism and the Pre-Raphaelites. We look at ‘romantic’ landscape, the modern moral subject and the depiction of women. Explore the art of women artists who struggled to survive as artists in the tightly controlled world of the art academy where the woman was encouraged to be muse and model rather than creator and thinker.Full fee £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £123.00 - Homes, houses and art in Britain 1900-1960Course start date: Thu 27 Apr 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Emma Rose BarberKnock on the door of artists’ houses and studios from 1900-1960 to experience exciting and visually dazzling spaces created over the course of their careers. At a time when artists were beginning to forge their own brave new visual worlds, this course considers what the homes might tell us about the artists and how they wanted their homes to be seen.Full fee £159.00 Senior fee £127.00 Concession £103.00 - Introduction to Tate BritainCourse start date: Fri 5 May 2023
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Chantal CondronEach week, we'll explore a different aspect of the permanent collection at Tate Britain, looking at artworks from the 16th to the 21st centuries. This course is gallery based.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £110.00 - Introduction to the art of art history - part 2Course start date: Sat 6 May 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Rachel SandersExplore a variety of art movements, from Neo-Classicism to Abstract Expressionism through an introductory study of the writing of art theorists and commentators who have made a significant contribution to Art History as a discipline.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £110.00 - In depth: German art and the Weimar Republic 1918-1933Course start date: Mon 15 May 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayFocusing on the vibrant culture of the Weimar Republic, this course looks at the artists and artistic movements that emerged in Germany between 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 £159.00 Senior fee £127.00 Concession £103.00 - London's smaller art collectionsCourse start date: Wed 7 Jun 2023 (and 1 other date)
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 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £110.00 - Introduction to Latin American artCourse start date: Fri 13 Jan 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayExplore the art of Latin America from indigenous cultures to colonisation and through the revolutions of the 20th and 21st centuries.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £159.00 Senior fee £127.00 Concession £103.00 - Art and empire: in the early modern eraCourse start date: Wed 18 Jan 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Emma Rose BarberStudy 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 £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £123.00 - Art and critical analysis: Western European art under the microscopeCourse start date: Wed 18 Jan 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Leslie PrimoConcentrating on major works of art and significant artists across periods ranging from 1300 to 1900 and beyond this course we will study and explore the impact on the public’s appreciation of art and how that might be influenced by critical analysis including the vagaries of fashion.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £110.00 - London's hidden art and architectureCourse start date: Tue 24 Jan 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Julie BarlowUncover a whole new side of London, from Roman times to the present day through a series of virtual visits to art galleries and historic sites.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £123.00
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