Appreciate art through learning

Our Art History courses will give you a deeper understanding of what you're looking at. When it comes to art, everyone's has their own opinion on which artist is better than the other, and what their most famous work signifies.

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Through exploring the world of art history, you'll be learning about why pieces are made in the first place and what the pieces mean. You will also examine how that’s changed over a period of time, as well as the impact it’s had on society. 

You’ll be taught about many of the aspects from the art creation process, such as the materials used in artworks, and how different kinds of artists contribute differently in expressing their ideas through freehand drawing or digital media. 

Whether you're a seasoned art appreciator or a newbie, there's something here for everyone. From exploring art painted by Salvador Dali or learning all about the history of Nordic Art from the Viking era, we have a selection of online and in-person art history courses from different decades to choose from.  

Attend an Art History course near you  

Whether you choose to learn from the comfort of your own home, or opt for a space in your local community, you’ll be taught by a talented tutor who is an expert in their field. 

The support you’ll receive on our Art History courses

Your tutor will encourage you to develop an understanding of Art History that goes beyond what's on the surface, motivating you to truly immerse yourself in the subject. It’s our learning experience that sets us apart too, with an encouraging environment that ensures you attend each session with the excitement to learn.   

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Art Appreciation: Art of the 19th and 20th Centuries

Modern Art’ arouses strong feelings - like it or loathe it! Explore Constable and Turner, understand the Pre- Raphaelites and the Impressionists. Trace the development of ‘Modern Art’ from the beginnings with Cezanne, through the revolutions of Picasso and Mondrian, to the British artists such as Tracy Emin and Antony Gormley. Discuss whether ‘found art’ such as Duchamp’s ‘Fountain’ or Tracy Emin’s ‘My Bed’ are really art at all. Examine the importance of modern art galleries. Understand the contexts and the development which have influenced art in the twentieth century.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 20/06/2024 -
Thu 18/07/2024
Times:
9:30am - 11:30am
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
David Brindley
Course code:
Q00015237
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
8 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £37.00

Art Appreciation: The National Gallery: History and Highlights (online)

In 2024, the National Gallery celebrates the 200th anniversary of its foundation. This is a great occasion to come back on the gallery’s fascinating history, from 1824 to 2024, and discover some of the collection’s highlights. Why was the National Gallery created, and how? What does it mean to be “the nation’s painting collection”? How do acquisitions happen? What are the visitors’ favourite paintings? How are the paintings preserve? We will answer these questions and more over this course.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 20/06/2024 -
Thu 18/07/2024
Times:
1:00pm - 3:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Caroline Levisse
Course code:
Q00015344
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £37.00

History: Art and About: Exploring the Southbank

Part of the WEA Art and About Festival 2024! Exploring the Southbank area, this is a heritage guided walk on Thursday 20th June, meeting at 11am by the ticket barriers of Blackfriars station south side of the river Thames, and ending near Waterloo station. Come and explore the Southbank area famously known for its culture and tourism. Once one of London's most polluted neighbourhoods, we will explore how it has evolved into a tree lined riverside neighbourhood that is loved today and attracts millions of visitors.

Course Information

Dates:
Fri 21/06/2024 -
Fri 21/06/2024
Times:
11:00am - 12:30pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Meeting Point: Blackfriars Station
Southside
Southside
London
SE1 9UD
Tutor:
Selina Rice
Course code:
Q00014741
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £7.50

Art Appreciation: Indigenous Artwork- Sami, Aboriginal, Native American and more

In this course, we will focus on artworks that are rarely studied in themselves: the art objects and artworks created by indigenous peoples. Come and learn about the artistic traditions of Native American peoples, of the Sami, of Aboriginal Australians, and more. You will discover cultures that are under-represented within the art world. We will discuss the styles, and types of art and craft that are favoured by specific groups, as well as the narratives that are expressed in these artefacts. A focus on contemporary indigenous artists will allow us to discuss matters of exclusion, assimilation, and rights.

Course Information

Dates:
Fri 21/06/2024 -
Fri 19/07/2024
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Caroline Levisse
Course code:
Q00015407
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £37.00

WEA Membership

For just £15 a year, you can:

  • Join our popular, award-winning weekly lecture series,
  • Access an archive of over 100 past lectures,
  • Get priority online and phone booking for autumn courses (England only),
  • Receive our Highway magazine and access back issues,
  • Attend our members’ annual conference.

Just add us to your basket to sign up today!

Membership Information

Duration:
12 months
Fee:
WEA Membership

Art Appreciation: Art and About: Art Along the South Bank - Walking Tour

Part of the WEA Art and About Festival 2024! Art Along the South Bank Walking Tour stops at the public sculptures along the South Bank which arrived on the riverside since the Festival of Britain in 1951. As well as the sculptures mounted on plinths in alcoves commissioned to adorn the exterior of the London County Hall, now a major tourist attraction. Discover one of London’s hidden gems, a totally un-curated sculpture park stretching from Westminster Bridge to the Royal Festival Hall. The meeting point is The South Bank Lion on Westminster Bridge Rd, and the walking tour will end on the Riverside Terrace at the Royal Festival Hall.

Course Information

Dates:
Sun 23/06/2024 -
Sun 23/06/2024
Times:
3:00pm - 5:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
South Bank Lion Westminster Bridge
The Queen's Walk
London
SE1 7GA
Tutor:
Jolanta Jagiello
Course code:
Q00014492
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £10.00

Art Appreciation: Art and About: Art in the Olympic (South) Park - Walking Tour

Part of the WEA Art and About Festival 2024! Art in the Olympic (South) Park Walking Tour explores the public artworks in the south side of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. It is the first Olympic Park to integrate artworks into the landscape right from the start by established and emerging artists, international and local, which reflects the Park’s identity and is the home to West Ham’s Football Stadium. Discover artworks that are both large and striking, whilst others are smaller and harder to find, inspired by the undulating landscape, riverside, buried histories, community memories, and Olympic glory. The meeting point is the ArcelorMittal Orbit by Sir Anish Kapoor.

Course Information

Dates:
Sun 07/07/2024 -
Sun 07/07/2024
Times:
3:00pm - 5:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Meeting Point: ArcelorMittal Orbit (Lond
Queen Elizabeth Olymipic Park,
London
E20 2AD
Tutor:
Jolanta Jagiello
Course code:
Q00014493
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £10.00

Art Appreciation: Introduction to Early Renaissance Painting

This course is an introduction to ways of viewing paintings made in Europe in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The course that uses a selected number of paintings to provide a basis for the beginnings of an appreciation and understanding of some of the seminal ideas in aesthetics and philosophy of the period. The selection will encourage a focus on the paintings with specific themes and attentions; from the early use of artificial perspective and proportions to involvement in a world that represents the complexity of thought with feelings The course will include a study of selected works by Giotto and Masaccio, Jan van Eyck. and Rogier van der Weyden, Piero della Francesca and Sandro Botticelli, Andrea Mantegna and Giovanni Bellini.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 16/07/2024 -
Tue 06/08/2024
Times:
11:15am - 12:45pm
Duration:
2 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Allen Fisher
Course code:
Q00015352
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £22.20

Art Appreciation: Art and About: Soho and its Heritage

Part of the WEA Art and About Festival 2024! As part of the WEA London Festival Art and About : A heritage walk through the heart of Soho meeting at Criterion Théâtre near Piccadilly Circus on Thursday July 18th meet at 11am ending near Tottenham Court Road Tube station Come and explore the Soho area famously known for its culture , yet their other interesting features institutions that exist in the area such as Churches , Old Hospitals and much more. We will explore how the area developed and why these are still important buildings today

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 18/07/2024 -
Thu 18/07/2024
Times:
11:00am - 12:30pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Meeting Point: Criterion Theatre
218-223 Piccadilly
St. James's
London
London
W1J 9HR
Tutor:
Selina Rice
Course code:
Q00014454
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £7.50

Art Appreciation: Art and About: Art in the Olympic (North) Park - Walking Tour

Part of the WEA Art and About Festival 2024! Art in the Olympic (North) Park Walking Tour explores the public artworks in the north side of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. It is the first Olympic Park to integrate artworks into the landscape right from the start by established and emerging artists, international and local, which reflects the Park’s identity, and the first to have an artist-in-residence during its construction. Discover artworks that are both large and striking, whilst others are smaller and harder to find, inspired by the undulating landscape, riverside, buried histories, community memories, and Olympic glory. The meeting point is Copper Box Arena on Waterden Rd.

Course Information

Dates:
Sun 28/07/2024 -
Sun 28/07/2024
Times:
3:00pm - 5:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Meeting Point: Copperbox Arena
Waterden Road
London
London
E20 3BS
Tutor:
Jolanta Jagiello
Course code:
Q00014695
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £10.00



The courses below have already started, but are still available to book.

Art Appreciation: The National Gallery - History and Highlights

In 2024, the National Gallery celebrates the 200th anniversary of its foundation. This is a great occasion to come back on the gallery’s fascinating history, from 1824 to 2024, and discover some of the collection’s highlights. Why was the National Gallery created, and how? What does it mean to be “the nation’s painting collection”? How do acquisitions happen? What are the visitors’ favourite paintings? How are the paintings preserve? We will answer these questions and more over this four-week course.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 02/05/2024 -
Thu 23/05/2024
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
3 sessions
Location:
Ripley Arts Centre (Bromley)
24 Sundridge Avenue
Bromley
BR1 2PX
Tutor:
Caroline Levisse
Course code:
Q00014670
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
4 places remaining
Status:
In progress
Fee range
Free to £40.00

Art Appreciation: The National Gallery - History and Highlights

In 2024, the National Gallery celebrates the 200th anniversary of its foundation. This is a great occasion to come back on the gallery’s fascinating history, from 1824 to 2024, and discover some of the collection’s highlights. Why was the National Gallery created, and how? What does it mean to be “the nation’s painting collection”? How do acquisitions happen? What are the visitors’ favourite paintings? How are the paintings preserve? We will answer these questions and more over this four-week course.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 02/05/2024 -
Thu 23/05/2024
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
3 sessions
Location:
Ripley Arts Centre (Bromley)
24 Sundridge Avenue
Bromley
BR1 2PX
Tutor:
Caroline Levisse
Course code:
Q00014670
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
4 places remaining
Status:
In progress
Fee range
Free to £40.00

Art Appreciation: The National Gallery - History and Highlights

In 2024, the National Gallery celebrates the 200th anniversary of its foundation. This is a great occasion to come back on the gallery’s fascinating history, from 1824 to 2024, and discover some of the collection’s highlights. Why was the National Gallery created, and how? What does it mean to be “the nation’s painting collection”? How do acquisitions happen? What are the visitors’ favourite paintings? How are the paintings preserve? We will answer these questions and more over this four-week course.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 02/05/2024 -
Thu 23/05/2024
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
3 sessions
Location:
Ripley Arts Centre (Bromley)
24 Sundridge Avenue
Bromley
BR1 2PX
Tutor:
Caroline Levisse
Course code:
Q00014670
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
4 places remaining
Status:
In progress
Fee range
Free to £40.00