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Short course

History of Art Short Course

Book course
Journey through art history and discover the themes that shaped today's art world.
Next start months
August 2025
November 2025
January 2026
Tutor(s)
Viv Lawes
Jennifer Warren
Price
From £640.00

Course description

Course overview

This short course takes you on a journey through time and introduces you to the themes throughout history that have shaped our current art world.

Through presentations and visits to galleries, you'll learn about significant stages in the history of art, exploring ideas and movements that have inspired artists, such as the Renaissance, Romanticism and Impressionism. We'll also consider how art is perceived today.

Above all and most importantly, it will be a chance to enjoy original art up close as most of the course will be spent outside of the college, at the galleries and museums in central London.

This course is available both on campus or online.

Who this course is for

This course is ideal for anyone interested in seeing and learning about artworks; their importance, history and connections with our national visual culture. It could lead you to further study or a career in art dealing, collecting or curating.

Students from outside London may find it a useful introduction to the Capital's visual treasures.

Key information

Topics covered

  • The Classical Period
  • The Medieval and Renaissance Art
  • The Renaissance, Baroque and European Painting to 1900
  • British Art from 1600 to Contemporary works
  • International Art from 1900 to present date


Learning outcomes

  • Extensive knowledge of the London art world and the history of art in general
  • Enriching your experiences of the capital's galleries
  • Digital badge and certificate of attendance

Materials
On campus or online

  • Notebook and pen

If you are taking this course online, please see our Guide to taking online short courses.

Tutor

Viv Lawes

Viv Lawes is art historian, arts writer and curator, combining an extensive hands-on career in the art business with academic research and teaching in higher education, continuing education, and public-facing organisations.
In addition to leading short courses at UAL, she teaches at Sotheby's Institute of Art, the City & Guilds of London Art School, SOAS (University of London), and Imperial College, London. Topics covered include History of Art from Classical Greece to c.1970, the History of Design c.1100-c.1970, Global Art History, Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Art, and the Art Market.
She is UK Consultant to Larasati Auctioneers (Jakarta/ Singapore) and One East Asia gallery, Singapore, and has curated numerous exhibitions of Southeast Asian modern and contemporary art in London and Singapore since 2011.
A former art market journalist at The Art Newspaper, she writes for a wide array of publications and private clients. Her articles, essays and reports have been published in numerous arts journals, newspapers, catalogues, handbooks and websites, aimed at both the academic and general readership, in print and online.
She is pursuing her PhD on 19th century sculpture at the University of Warwick. 

Jennifer Warren

Jennifer Warren is a researcher and lecturer with a background in Exhibition Studies. She is currently based at Central Saint Martins as an AHRC funded PhD candidate within the Afterall Research Centre, where her work addresses the idea of the ‘Activist Museum’ by focusing on interactions between contemporary art institutions and social movements.
Jennifer has been teaching in various capacities at UAL since 2017 and holds a PGCert in Academic Practice in Art Design and Communication. She has been a Visiting Lecturer for various BA and MA courses in Fine Art, Curation and Exhibition Studies at Central Saint Martins, Goldsmiths and London Southbank University / Whitechapel Gallery.

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