Postgraduate Art History 2016-2017

This introductory course will trace major developments in the history of art in the western world, from cave painting in the Stone Age to the beginnings of photography in the nineteenth century.   Other aspects of European art to be explored through painting, prints, sculpture and architecture will include: Classicism in Greece and Rome, the rise of the Medieval Gothic cathedrals to the rebirth of Classicism in the Renaissance, the grandeur of the Baroque to the ornament of the Rococo, and the revolutionary order of Neo-Classicism to the imagination and emotion of Romanticism.

This course, which combines theoretical learning with a hands-on approach, exposes you to the realities of the art market and financial aspects of art dealing and heritage conservation.  You will engage with professionals in the field who explain the reality of running an art business, including different types of gallery, an auction house, an historic venue, and an individual artist.  The role of art as a major economic and social catalyst is explored through various regeneration schemes.  There will be onsite visits to galleries and auctions, during which you will interview key practitioners in the field. Download course guide.

This course is appropriate both for budding professional art historians and those hoping to enter the art trade.  It provides training in making decisions about attribution, fakes and forgeries through studying classic puzzles about forgery, deception and attribution.  Modern methods of authentication, such as technical analysis, will also be examined to develop the key skills of visual and scientific analysis that are essential for art dealers. Download course guide.

To conclude the course you will produce a dissertation of 15,000 to 20,000 words on a topic agreed with co-supervisors in both History of Art and Business, or other relevant discipline.  In identifying the area of research, formulating the appropriate questions and writing your dissertation, you will have the opportunity to reflect and draw on the knowledge you have obtained during the year and to consult with your supervisors.  Working independently to a tight deadline, you will deliver a thesis accompanied by the correct academic apparatus.