Introductory & General Art History Courses
Our introductory and general art history courses are foundational and designed to give students the skills they need to interpret art across time periods and cultures. These courses are about developing visual literacy, understanding major themes in the history of art and introducing how and why artists make art. Whether you are just starting out in art history or are well-versed in art knowledge, our introductory and general courses will help you develop techniques for visual analysis.
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.
30 courses available
- Art History Festival: In Conversation with Charmaine Watkiss
Join us for a special ‘In Conversation’ event with acclaimed artist and former City Lit student Charmaine Watkiss, who’ll be interviewed by cultural historian Michael Ohajuru in celebration of this year’s Art History Festival. This lecture is part of the 2026 Art History Festival organised by the Association for Art History.
Keeley Street
Fri 9 Oct 2026Full fee £0.00 
Ways into art historyDo you enjoy looking at art but want to understand it more deeply? This introduction to art history course will help you build confidence in interpreting art by exploring topics such as beauty, the role of the artist, gender, the art market, and global art history-giving you fresh insight into what you see in galleries and museums.
Online
Fri 23 Oct 2026Sophie RhodesFull fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00- Colour in art history: pigments, colour theory and symbolism
Explore the way painters through history have used colours to create effects and convey meaning and emotions. Looking into the history of pigments, colour theory, and colour symbolism, this course focuses on an essential aspect of the art of painting.
Online
Wed 4 Nov 2026Caroline LevisseFull fee £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £123.00 - The Italian Renaissance: from Giotto to Botticelli
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
Thu 5 Nov 2026Elisa StafferiniFull fee £189.00 Senior fee £189.00 Concession £123.00 - Ways into art history: a study day
Enjoy an introductory sample of Art History and develop some basic skills in formal and content analysis, material studies, and discussion of determinative factors such as patronage and politics.
Keeley Street
Sat 7 Nov 2026Rachel SandersFull fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00 - Study day: master drawings from Michelangelo to Cezanne, a hidden art history
Uncover hidden histories in art through the universal medium of drawing. Explore drawing’s significant role in shaping art and how artists including Leonardo, Rembrandt and Cezanne have been drawn to its expressive possibilities to make personal studies and autonomous works of art.
Keeley Street
Sun 15 Nov 2026Bryony Bartlett-RawlingsFull fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00 - Lunchtime lecture: Peggy Guggenheim - saving modern art
A brief introduction to Peggy Guggenheim's collecting practice and how it evolved into one of the most significant collections of modern art. From her revolutionary exhibition space in New York City to her transformation of the Venice Biennale, we will see how she saved modern art from the clutches of fascism.
Online
Wed 25 Nov 2026Sarah JaffrayFull fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00 - Art history tasterCurious 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.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00
- Study day: Art of the Harlem Renaissance
Explore the art of the Harlem Renaissance from its historical context to its key artists and its impact on 20th century art and culture in the United States.
Keeley Street
Sun 6 Dec 2026Sarah JaffrayFull fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00 - Angels in artAngels 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.
Online
Tue 8 Dec 2026Emma Rose BarberFull fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00 - Women in art: 1800-1900During 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.
Keeley Street
Tue 5 Jan 2027Elizabeth EyresFull fee £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £123.00 - Styles in art: from medieval to modernA survey of Western art from the Gothic to the Victorian age, discussing Renaissance, Mannerism, Baroque, Neoclassicism, Romanticism and Realism, and the ideas shaping each period.
Keeley Street
Mon 11 Jan 2027Leslie PrimoFull fee £279.00 Senior fee £223.00 Concession £181.00 - Fauvism and Expressionism: colour and line set free
From van Gogh and Munch to Matisse, Kandinsky, Kirchner and Schiele, this four-week course explores the revolutionary and multifaceted movements that were Expressionism and Fauvism. We’ll examine the history and legacy of the artists who sought to free colour and form from the copy of nature, so they became pure means of expression.
Online
Wed 13 Jan 2027Caroline LevisseFull fee £159.00 Senior fee £127.00 Concession £103.00 - The introduction to art historyArt history is much more than decoding secrets and symbols. It is about critical thinking and empathy, understanding how an artwork reflects an artist’s interpretation of their world, and what it says to you about our world now. This course is designed to build your confidence in understanding visual art of the Western tradition. It is designed for both the absolute beginner and those with some existing art historical knowledge.Full fee £279.00 Senior fee £279.00 Concession £181.00
- Artistic traditions of Indigenous peoples
Explore the artefacts and artworks created by people from Indigenous communities and nations in this introductory course. You will learn about the artistic traditions of Native American peoples, the Sámi culture, Aboriginal Australians, and more. We will discuss the styles, and techniques, as well as narratives that are expressed in these objects.
Keeley Street
Thu 25 Feb 2027Caroline LevisseFull fee £159.00 Senior fee £127.00 Concession £103.00
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