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.

Skip to courses

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.   

Please enter your postcode

In order for us to give you accurate results for your courses, please click on the Search options and enter your postcode and the mile radius for your search.

Refine search

How you'll learn

Your location

Please enter your postcode or town for your search in the boxes below.

We have defaulted the search to ten miles, but you can change this number in the box as you wish.

Sort by start date

Choose to sort the course start date in ascending order (furthest away dates first) or descending (most recent dates first)

Results per page

Part of day
Level of study
Availability
Search for the branch name/location, without adding branch e.g. Barnet

Art Appreciation: The Emergence of Art Photography (1839 -1920)

This three-hour session explores the rise of photography as an art form from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century. We will examine key movements, including Pictorialism, and the work of pioneers such as Nadar, Julia Margaret Cameron, Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Steichen, and Paul Strand. The session will discuss how photographers used soft focus, composition, and printing techniques to elevate photography beyond documentation into artistic expression. We will also explore photography’s relationship with modernism and its dialogue with painting. Learners will gain insight into how photography secured its place in the art world.
View details
Dates:
Fri 06/06/2025 -
Fri 06/06/2025
Times:
9:30am - 12:30pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Caroline Levisse
Course code:
Q00021437
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £11.10

Art Appreciation: Women in Art from Renaissance to date

Discover the life and work of Artemisia Gentileschi born in Italy in 1593 who is considered to be one of the most accomplished female artists of the 17th century. The session explores her work and the messages it contained . We explore the reasons for her success , her relationships , methods and training. We will look at her early life and when , where and how she began to study . The session explores her early Caravaggio influences and her Italian Baroque style and technique. The session moves on to briefly explore the work of some of the other prominent female artists from other countries through time focusing on the elements of their work but in particular the connections they had which made their work popular despite the social and political limitations upon women at the time . We will then have the opportunity to look at the work of the more contemporary modern works of female artists drawing comparisons with Gentileschi's work. Some of the artists we will discover include icons such as Louise Bourgeois and Tamara de Lempicka as well as more contemporary modern artists such as Tracey Emin.
View details
Dates:
Thu 12/06/2025 -
Thu 12/06/2025
Times:
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Kerry Van Der Schraft
Course code:
Q00022115
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £7.40

Art Appreciation: Paul Nash: Dreamer of the Modern World.

scover the fascinating life and work of 20th century artist, Paul Nash. Chart his significant impact on British art from 1914 to his death in 1946: from his experiences as Official War Artist during both World Wars; and his contribution to the development of British Surrealism and modern landscape. The course explores also Nash’s fruitful collaboration with his wife, the writer and Suffragette, Margaret Odeh. Central to this course will be a focus on Nash’s interest in spirituality and Eastern philosophies, exploring how his paintings articulated certain subjects and motifs that helped him make sense of a world of conflict.
View details
Dates:
Fri 13/06/2025 -
Fri 11/07/2025
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Blue Beetle Room (London)
Hendon Lane
Finchley
London
N3 1TR
Tutor:
Chantal Condron
Course code:
Q00017396
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £50.00

History: Art and About: Outrage – Walking the Greenwich Park Bomb 1894

This short walk from the Greenwich Foot Tunnel entrance to the Royal Observatory traces some of the sites connected to what some have called the first act of international terrorism – the Greenwich Park Bomb Outrage of 1894 in which a young French Anarchist blew himself to pieces. Why did he do it? What was he trying to achieve and why do it in a deserted Greenwich Park in the depths of winter? What evidence of the incident now remains for us to consider and attempt to draw conclusions from? What was the explosion’s lasting impact, and does it have any modern relevance? Meet at Greenwich Foot Tunnel South Entrance, London SE10 9HT
View details
Dates:
Fri 13/06/2025 -
Fri 13/06/2025
Times:
10:30am - 1:30pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Meeting Point: Greenwich Foot Tunnel
South Entrance
London
London
SE10 9HT
Tutor:
Laurie Johnston
Course code:
Q00022030
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £12.60

WEA Membership

WEA membership is changing: more information is coming soon!

Add to basket
Duration:
12 months
Fee:
£15

Art Appreciation: From Wild Beasts to Prophets: Fauvism to Nabis

Explore how the use of imaginative, ‘wild’ and dramatic colour was developed to conjure emotions and create new experiences rather than naturalism in the exciting avant garde period from the late 19th to early 20th century. This course is a natural progression from studies of Impressionist and Post Impressionist artwork, which greatly influenced the evolving experimentation for this exciting period of expressive and intensely coloured artwork of interiors, cityscapes and figurative subject matter such as ‘dance’ and ‘bathers’. Sessions will explore artwork of this subject matter by prominent artists Bonnard, Vuillard, Matisse, Derain and Vlaminick amongst others and the impact these artists have had on contemporary artwork.
View details
Dates:
Tue 17/06/2025 -
Tue 15/07/2025
Times:
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Debra Collis
Course code:
Q00022004
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £37.00

Creative Writing in the Landscape: Writing the River Tamar

In a stunning location overlooking Brunel’s famous Tamar Bridge to Cornwall, this workshop will be a feast for the creative senses. You’ll be encouraged to write what you can see, hear, feel, smell, touch – and taste! - in this ever-changing landscape. The workshop is open to everyone who likes to write, from beginners to published, and all genres from poetry to prose. This is a unique and wonderful opportunity to spend a day in the company of other writers, exploring the immediate natural and human-made environment. It’s also a chance to share your written work, if you wish, at a local festival.
View details
Dates:
Thu 19/06/2025 -
Thu 19/06/2025
Times:
10:00am - 4:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Bridging the Tamar Visitor and Learning
Tamar Bridge Office
Pemros Road
Plymouth
PL5 1LP
Tutor:
Kate Cotton
Course code:
Q00021913
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £25.20

Art Appreciation: Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner

Jackson Pollock was born in 1912 in the United States in Wyoming, his wife who was also a renowned artist was born in 1908 in Brooklin New York . Discover their connection artistically explore their relationship and possible reasons for the differences and similarities in their works. The session will be delivered by power point presentation and lecture , handouts will be given where appropriate. The session is tailored to allow learners the opportunity to consolidate their learning as the course is delivered by discussion of their learning outcomes and opinions in a friendly and engaging environment and there will be fun group activities during the course to check on understanding and learning.
View details
Dates:
Thu 19/06/2025 -
Thu 19/06/2025
Times:
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Kerry Van Der Schraft
Course code:
Q00022111
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £7.40

Art and About: Hyde Park Statues and Monuments

Hyde Park is 140 hectares in area. It is an historic Grade I-listed urban park in Westminster, Greater London. A Royal Park, it is the largest of the parks and green spaces that form a chain from Kensington Palace through Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, via Hyde Park Corner and Green Park, past Buckingham Palace to St James's Park. Hyde Park is divided by the Serpentine and the Long Water lakes. For several centuries Hyde Park has been enriched by the installation of many statues and monuments. Enjoy this leisurely stroll around the park and learn about its fascinating history.
View details
Dates:
Fri 20/06/2025 -
Fri 20/06/2025
Times:
10:30am - 1:30pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Meeting Point: Apsley House
149 Piccadilly
London
London
W1J 7NT
Tutor:
Colin Lomas
Course code:
Q00019130
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £12.60

Art Appreciation: Who's the Muse? Eileen Agar, Claude Cahun and Isabel Rawsthorne

What is a muse? How and why has this convention endured for centuries? On this focused course, we explore the identity and representation of the muse through the lives and work of three female artists: Claude Cahun (1894-1954), Eileen Agar (1899-1991) and Isabel Rawsthorne (1912-1992). Each week we focus on one artist, examining their individual backgrounds, training and a range of influences that helped to shape their practice across either painting, photography or sculpture. By exploring their work and artistic intentions we will discuss how the traditional concept of the modern muse was powerfully subverted by each of the artists.
View details
Dates:
Thu 26/06/2025 -
Thu 10/07/2025
Times:
10:30am - 12:30pm
Duration:
3 sessions
Location:
Enfield Baptist Church (Enfield) (Enfiel
Cecil Road
Enfield
EN2 6TG
Tutor:
Chantal Condron
Course code:
Q00017374
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £36.00

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

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.
View details
Dates:
Sun 06/07/2025 -
Sun 06/07/2025
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:
Q00019135
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £12.60