Women in art collections: a history of artists and sitters

What is the course about?

We will visit a range of museums and galleries across London including the V&A, the National Portrait Gallery, Tate Britain and Tate Modern. Where possible we may also visit smaller/commercial galleries and temporary exhibitions. Whilst some names, like Angelica Kauffman or Tracey Emin may be very familiar, we will also be rediscovering those women that have been overlooked, excluded or forgotten.

Women artists in the past have often had to fight adversity to achieve a professional training and to work and exhibit alongside their male contemporaries. Is this still the case today? How have women been presented to us across time as the subject of art both by themselves and by others? Alongside our exploration of women as makers, we will explore representations of female “types” from Madonna to mistress, the male gaze, idealization and objectification.

A full plan and meeting point for each session will be emailed to you at least one week before the start of the course.

What will we cover?

-Consider and discuss how gender has impacted upon women artists in the past

-Identify the stereotypical images of women presented in the visual arts in the past and how these accepted roles have been challenged and discarded in the present

-Discover the work of contemporary women artists and makers.

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

-Recognise and describe the work of significant women artists over the past 500 years and understand why they have received less recognition than their male counterparts

-Discuss some of the barriers faced by women artists and makers in the past

-Identify key areas of change in the way women have been perceived and represented in the visual arts.

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

This course is suitable for all levels.

You should be able to follow simple written and verbal instructions, demonstrations, hand-outs and health and safety information. You will be invited to take part in group discussion.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

You will be taught in the gallery with lecture and group discussions. Handouts will be provided by your tutor to support your learning on the course.

Museum/gallery-based courses take place during public access hours. Tutors are not able to control sound levels or behaviours of visitors outside of the course group. Unless you are a wheelchair user, and have confirmed access details with us (as levels of access can vary between galleries), you will need to be able to walk between exhibits and stand for some time while looking at them (you may bring your own portable stool if you have one, but we cannot guarantee access to any gallery stools.) If you feel you may be impacted by these environmental variations, please inform the department on humanities@citylit.ac.uk before the course begins, to discuss reasonable accommodations we can make to assist your learning in the museum space.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

You might wish to purchase a notebook for taking notes. You might wish to buy some of the books on any reading list provided. Entrance to the galleries will usually be free, however, we may visit one relevant exhibition, for which there may be an entry fee. This entry fee is not included in the course fees and will have to be paid by the student before the relevant exhibition. If there will an exhibition fee, the tutor will discuss alert students on or just before the first session; the exhibition fee will not exceed £20.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

VB220 Art and Culture of the Victorians.