Early modern world
Art History Courses Online & In London
Would you like to get to grips with the Italian Renaissance, explore the energy of 17th century London or the ‘serenity’ of 18th century Venice? Our courses on the early modern world cover the art, culture, political happenings and artist biographies of the 15th-18th centuries. Join us online, in the classroom, in the gallery or out and about in London.
Online, classroom-based and gallery-based art history courses
Many of our courses are also offered online, giving you the freedom to study from anywhere you need to be. We also offer our classes in-person at our Central London location and at many galleries and museums in and around London. Use the Location filters on this page to choose your preferred delivery method. See our guide to online learning for more information about our live online courses.
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.
19 courses available
The art of the Burgundian Netherlands c. 1360-1480Explore how the extravagant lifestyle of the Burgundian court provided opportunities for an opulent Burgundian style to be developed and disseminated across Europe in the late middle ages and into the renaissance.Keeley Street
Wed 4 Nov 2026Julia MusgraveFull fee £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £123.00- The arts of medieval Islam: Fatimids, Turks, Mongols and Mamluks
A course looking at the role of ideology and patronage under key Islamic dynasties that arose in Egypt and the Middle East during the 10th - 14th century, with important new influences brought by invasions of Turks and Mongols from Central Asia and the Far East.
Keeley Street
Fri 6 Nov 2026Anita ChowdryFull fee £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £123.00 - Study day: Women and art in early modern Italy - viewers, patrons and collectors
Discover the role of women as patrons, collectors and commissioners of art during the Renaissance and the early modern period. Focusing on the period between 1450 and 1650, this session explores how elite women influenced artistic production and cultural life across Italy and beyond. Through objects ranging from marriage chests to portraits, devotional works and major commissions, we will examine the ways women engaged with the art world as viewers, patrons and collectors.
Keeley Street
Sun 22 Nov 2026Elisa StafferiniFull fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00 - The art of collecting in the Renaissance: the Studiolo
Explore early collecting practices of the Renaissance studiolo. See the different objects collected from illuminated books, antique coins and gems to bronze medals by Pisanello and paintings by Giotto, Bellini and Jan van Eyck. Looking at early collections including those of Piero and Lorenzo de’ Medici and Isabella d’Este, trace how objects were displayed and used in the studiolo. One session of this course takes place at the V&A Museum.
Keeley Street
Mon 30 Nov 2026Bryony Bartlett-RawlingsFull fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00 - Introduction to the Italian Renaissance
Explore the interaction of ideas, society and visual culture in Renaissance Italy (1300-1480s). Study works by renowned artists such Giotto, Masaccio and Botticelli,. Examine materials, techniques and iconography, and uncover how art expressed religious, mythological and political ideas of the time.
Keeley Street
Tue 5 Jan 2027Elisa StafferiniFull fee £279.00 Senior fee £223.00 Concession £181.00 - Persian art from Tamerlane to Safavid Iran
An introduction to the early modern (c. 1300-1700) art of Persia. We'll explore wide ranging arts from calligraphy to ceramics, painting and the arts of the book. Come to understand the complex arts patronage of the Timurid and Safavid empires and understand their definitive impact on visual culture beyond their borders.
Keeley Street
Thu 7 Jan 2027Anita ChowdryFull fee £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £123.00 - Baroque art across Europe: 1600-1750
Explore the dramatic art of the Baroque period (c. 1600-1750), an age of spectacle, emotion and innovation. Discover masterpieces by Caravaggio, Rubens, Velázquez, Rembrandt and Bernini while examining how art responded to religion, politics and scientific change.
Keeley Street
Wed 13 Jan 2027Elisa StafferiniFull fee £279.00 Senior fee £223.00 Concession £181.00 - Art of the Northern RenaissanceDiscover the exquisite art of the Northern Renaissance through the work of its most innovative artists, including Albrecht Dürer, Rogier van der Weyden, Jan van Eyck, Grünewald, Hieronymus Bosch and Pieter Bruegel the Elder.
Keeley Street
Thu 14 Jan 2027Elizabeth EyresFull fee £279.00 Senior fee £223.00 Concession £181.00 - Study day: Donatello, shaping the Renaissance
Discover the sculptures of Donatello, one of the most fundamental artists of fifteenth-century Italy. This course will consider Donatello’s contribution to art; reviving antique prototypes of equestrian monument, life-size nude and portrait bust and how his mastery of a myriad of media from carving in wood and marble to casting in bronze, advanced sculpture in the Renaissance.
Keeley Street
Sun 17 Jan 2027Bryony Bartlett-RawlingsFull fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00 - Arts of the Great Mughals of India
An intensive look at painting, design, architecture, and crafts under the patronage of the early Mughal Emperors in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Keeley Street
Tue 16 Feb 2027Anita ChowdryFull fee £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £123.00 - Friday lates: Painting of the Rajput courts of India
An overview of painting from the Hindu courts of North-Western India and the Hill States, looking at patronage, content, and style, including iconography, symbolism, colour, and the studio-practice of the artists.
Keeley Street
Fri 12 Mar 2027Anita ChowdryFull fee £29.00 Senior fee £29.00 Concession £19.00 - An introduction to the art of seventeenth-century Europe: 1590–1690Often referred to as “the Baroque”, the seventeenth century embraces some of the most dramatic, dynamic and acclaimed artworks ever produced, yet also some of the most tranquil and gentle. We will explore a wide range of paintings and sculptures from this period, discover why they look as they do, and investigate the powerful religious and historical contexts that influenced its artists.
Keeley Street
Thu 15 Apr 2027Elizabeth EyresFull fee £279.00 Senior fee £223.00 Concession £181.00 - Raphael: The Rise and Dominance of a Renaissance Prodigy, 1483-1520
Explore the life, work and historical context of Raphael, the artist who is still, to this day, seen as the very epitome of Renaissance ideals. From his early life, to his work for powerful patrons, his influences and rivalries with the likes of Michelangelo, get to understand the world of High Renaissance Italy with Raphael's art and life as your guide.
Keeley Street
Wed 21 Apr 2027Leslie PrimoFull fee £279.00 Senior fee £223.00 Concession £181.00 - The Grand Tour: antiquity, art and cultural encounters
Follow in the footsteps of aristocratic gentlemen, visiting the key sites and monuments, and experiencing different places and customs of the Grand Tour. Explore how artists including Piranesi and Canaletto produced souvenirs for Grand Tourists. Trace how artists including Richard Wilson, James and Robert Adam developed art and architecture seen on the Grand Tour into new styles in Britain. This course includes a visit to the V&A Museum.
Keeley Street
Mon 10 May 2027Bryony Bartlett-RawlingsFull fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 - Michelangelo, the High Renaissance to Mannerism
Discover Michelangelo’s 'genius' across sculpture, painting, architecture, and poetry. This course traces his artistic journey within the dynamic world of 16th century Italy from the High Renaissance to Mannerism. It explores his encounters with contemporaries like Leonardo and Raphael, and examines how Vasari and Condivi’s biographies shaped his enduring reputation as Il Divino.
Keeley Street
Tue 11 May 2027Elisa StafferiniFull fee £239.00 Senior fee £191.00 Concession £155.00
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