In-person Course

What, if anything, has characterised English art over the centuries? What lies behind some of its spectacular periods of success or failure? Through painting, architecture and Nature, this course considers the creativity of a nation.

The Early Medici and Their Artists: Church & Monastery Commissions The Medici family, led by Cosimo de’ Medici in the early 1400s, wielded immense economic and political power in Florence. Their patronage extended across architecture, sculpture, painting, and humanist scholarship that defined Renaissance culture. For the Medici, art was more than ornamentation; it was a

How do we determine which artist might have painted what, hundreds of years ago? The old documents are rarely specific, and not always trustworthy, even when we still have them, which in most cases we don’t. So, we usually have to reason it out, by trusting our eyes; or, to be more precise, by trusting the

Europe faces a pivotal moment in its history, where debates over unity and diversity hold renewed urgency. This lecture series is the second of two that examine the idea of Europe through some of its most distinctive cities, tracing the development of their urban forms, the lives of those who shaped them, and the architectural

‘Germanness’ and nationalism collided with modern movements and cosmopolitanism in the art of Germany from the mid-nineteenth century onwards.  Berlin’s Nationalgalerie, founded in 1861 collected only contemporary art unlike other similar European institutions. It, too, became a site of contested ideas about art and the spirit of nationhood.  We will focus on these themes through

Bankruptcy, murder, addiction or prosperity, monastic serenity and chess – for better or worse, the personal experience of the artist is reflected in their art. Taking a variety of artists, we will look first at their lives, from the monastery of Fra Angelico to the mental asylum of Richard Dadd or the decadence of Montmartre

There are many strange figures over our heads: gods, monsters, great bursts of elaborate foliage. This course will introduce the (usually) sculpted embellishments of the buildings of London, some great and celebrated, others obscure. We will attempt to understand both what is represented and why. The lectures are arranged roughly chronologically, but the ancient heritage

The last 50 years have produced some of the most exciting and powerful music, painting and sculpture in history, but to many people it remains an undiscovered world. This course aims to introduce participants to some of this era’s major composers including Luciano Berio, György Kurtág, Thomas Larcher, Kaija Saariaho and Caroline Shaw alongside artists

Art Deco was arguably the most distinctive and elegant of international, inter-war styles, one which embraced all forms of design, from the fine and decorative arts to fashion, film, photography, transport and product design. This course will explore new directions in fine art and painting, the rise of the machine aesthetic and interest in new

Greek myths have profoundly influenced Western thought and continue to shape our worldview even today. These myths are all around us, woven into culture, language, and art—often without our conscious awareness. In this course, we will explore why these ancient stories are much more than simple tales. Through their rich symbolic language, they reveal deep