Study the history of art online
Short online courses in the history of art
Our short online courses in the history of art include weekly classes, day schools, lecture series and self-paced online courses.
Get up to speed with the latest debates and methods to interpret works of art, particularly in the areas of politics, society, gender and identity, material culture and decolonising practices.
Upcoming courses
Online - live • Short courses • Lecture series • Hybrid - in person or online
Explore British art during the interwar period. How did British artists react to the arrival of Surrealism in Britain? Featured artists include Barbara Hepworth, Paul Nash and Henry Moore. Part of the 'Art in Britain' lecture series.
- Wed 26 Feb 2025
- 2:00 – 3:15pm
Online - live • Short courses • Hybrid - in person or online
This is a dynamic multi-media day-school in which we will explore the evolution of popular culture from the 1950s to the present day, from the earliest stirrings of rock’n’roll youth culture, to the social media-saturated anxieties of our own time.
- Sat 08 Mar 2025
- 9:45am – 5:00pm
Online - live • Short courses
This course examines the social, economic, religious, and political contexts under which women have always made art, but have largely been marginalised in its formal histories and markets.
- Tue 22 Apr 2025 – 24 Jun 2025
- 10 meetings
- 4:00 – 5:00pm
Online - live • Short courses
Medieval art glitters and enthrals. Medieval architecture elicits wonder and awe. In this introductory course you will learn about its breadth and diversity, from great cathedrals and imposing castles to sacred icons and subversive marginalia.
- Wed 23 Apr 2025 – 25 Jun 2025
- 10 meetings
- 3:00 – 4:00pm
Online - flexible • Short courses
From Bellini and Botticelli to tapestry and tableware, the material culture of the Italian Renaissance continues to fascinate us to this day. This course is an opportunity to explore this unique period.
- Wed 23 Apr 2025 – 04 Jul 2025
Online - live • Short courses
The art of prehistoric Europe is rich with imagery such as cave paintings, carvings, body ornamentation and frescoes. This course considers a range of sites and artefacts in our exploration of the unique and creative ways people visualised their world.
- Thu 24 Apr 2025 – 26 Jun 2025
- 10 meetings
- 6:30 – 7:30pm
Undergraduate Certificate in the History of Art
The part-time Certificate in the History of Art teaches students about the production and provenance of works of art in museums, as well as key skills such as how to view and describe works of art.Undergraduate Diploma in the History of Art
A two-year part-time course in which you study two modules from a choice of four, each of which allows you to immerse yourself in a specific period of art history. Taught at second-year undergraduate level.MSt in the History of Design
This two-year part-time master's degree explores how ordinary things and places created since 1851 reveal fascinating traces of historical experiencMSt in Literature and Arts
An interdisciplinary programme which encompasses literature, history, art, architectural history, political thought and the history of ideas. Designed around 3 sequential periods of British history, from Early Modern to the early 20th century.