Art History courses online and in London

Learn how emperor Augustus harnessed the power of images to propel his vision for Rome and its empire.

Get to know the key artists, art and design of the Bauhaus. After providing a historical context, the course gives an introduction to the movement and its impact on 20th century art and design.

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.

Why are virtues such as Justice, Liberty, Charity and Fortitude almost always depicted as women? This session explores the history of personified virtues in Italian art, examining how moral ideals were visualised as female figures and what these images reveal about gender, symbolism and artistic tradition.

Study work of artists such as Richard Hamilton, Roy Lichtenstein, and Andy Warhol within the context of the international Pop Art movement and the changing world of mass culture, consumerism, and celebrity.

Marking a century since Gaudí’s death, this study-day explores his extraordinary architecture, and the rich world of Catalan Modernisme. From the Park Güell and Sagrada Família to the paintings of Ramon Casas, discover how Gaudí and his contemporaries transformed Barcelona.

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.

Explore Impressionism as an art movement, focusing on Auguste Renoir (1849-1919) as its key example, considering issues such as social change, biography, material experimentation and artistic and theoretic interests.

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.

Discover the exquisite art of the Northern Renaissance through the work on display at the National Gallery, including Albrecht Dürer, Rogier van der Weyden, Jan van Eyck, Hieronymus Bosch and Pieter Bruegel the Elder.

Explore the interaction of ideas, society and visual culture in Renaissance Italy (1400-1600). Study works by renowned artists such as Botticelli, Leonardo, Michelangelo and Titian, alongside lesser-known objects. Examine materials, techniques and iconography, and uncover how art expressed religious, mythological and political ideas of the time.