History of Art

Overview

On this History of Art degree course at the University of East Anglia  you’ll learn about the most important periods in the history of European art whilst exploring the arts of other cultures, from prehistory to the present day, across Europe, the Americas, India, Africa and Asia. You’ll engage with artworks from pre-history right through to the present, and with a wide variety of art forms including painting, sculpture, photography and video art, architecture, and installation and performance art.

In your first year you’ll establish firm foundations for the study of works of art from a variety of traditions. In your second and third years, you’ll select from a range of optional modules focused on particular periods and addressing specific topics and themes in art history. These currently include the relationship between modern art and gender, contemporary art history, the rich culture of the Renaissance, the fascinating world of medieval life, indigenous art practices, and the politics of art in different historical contexts.

All this results in a history of art degree with incredible breadth and depth. As well as expanding and deepening your knowledge and understanding of art, you will cultivate key intellectual and professional skills including the visual analysis of images, critical thinking, and confident communication.

You’ll have the opportunity to study the world-famous collection of art held in the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts. That means you will have access to important artworks from Asia, Africa, the Pacific, the Americas, and Europe. You will be able to study relevant objects at first-hand, while learning about the processes of collecting such objects in museums. You will also be taught by world-leading experts from a range of disciplinary backgrounds, who will encourage you to approach works of art from different perspectives.

The department of Art History and World Art Studies at UEA is a world-leading department. Our main areas of research are the history of art and architecture in Europe and North America, the arts of Africa, Asia, Oceania and South America, the archaeology and anthropology of art, and museum studies and cultural heritage.

Career destinations

• Museums and art galleries

• Commercial art galleries

• Event management

• Publishing

• Journalism

• Teaching/lecturing