Summer at City Lit

Discover the history, politics and intellectualism that fuelled the Italian Renaissance. Explore the art of Giotto and his peers from a new perspective.

Art has long been inspired by themes, ideas and concepts of spirituality and magic. With the dawn of industry and technology in the modern age, what motivated artists to continue their pursuit of spiritual worlds? Why have these ideas remained so compelling to contemporary artists? On this engaging evening of art, magic and myth, explore work by selected artists from the early 1900s to the present day.

An introduction to the art of Ithell Colquhoun from her academic days at the Slade to her mystical landscapes in Cornwall. We explore her subject matter, artistic process and her surrealist tendencies.

Explore the arts of imperial China spanning across 13 dynasties and 2000 years. Study how painting, sculpture, and architecture were deeply shaped by its richly diverse culture, philosophy, and religion.

In July 2025 a major solo exhibition of Emily Kam Kngwarray, considered to be one of Australia’s greatest artists, will be held at Tate Modern. This course aims to introduce British audiences to the oeuvre of this remarkable artist.

An introduction to the art of Louise Bourgeois, its feminism, both erotic and abject. We explore Bourgeois as a sculptor, printmaker and performance artist, looking at how she was influenced by psychology and biography.

The music history book club meets towards the end of each term to discuss novels and biographies with musical themes and references relevant to the music history programme.