Art and Art History New York University

Overview

The Art and Art History courses from New York University are divided into two tracks: Visual Arts and Art History. Students have the option of specializing in one track or combining the two in equal measure.

The studio art courses allow students to explore a range of different media and techniques including drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, printmaking, graphic design, video, and digital media, while at the same time letting them hone their skills in a chosen medium. These courses also require students to reflect critically on the nature of art practices and to understand the traditions, theories, and contexts that inform and mold these practices.

Courses in the history, theory, and criticism of the visual arts address the major issues and debates that have shaped our understanding of the visual arts. Among the questions we confront are: What is art and the nature of aesthetic experience, and why are they differently understood and valued at different times and in different cultures? 

What is gained or lost in studying art by focusing on a particular place, time, tradition or genre as opposed to approaching it from a comparative perspective that puts two or more cultures in dialogue? What might it mean to think of art as the product of cross-cultural exchange? How do institutions such as museums, galleries, funding bodies, and universities influence the creation, dissemination and reception of art? How do we explain the experience of the viewer psychologically, culturally, and historically? How can other disciplines help us better understand the visual arts?

Career opportunities:

The Art and Art History major prepares students for careers not only as artists or professionals in museums, the arts industries, or education, but also for any career where creativity, imagination, analytical ability, conceptual clarity, cross cultural understanding, and a respect for human achievement and difference are valued.

Art and Art History majors are employed and studying in countries around the world. This is just a sample.

• SAM Art Projects
• Talents KSA (Louvre Abu Dhabi)
• The Casting Seeds Project
• Tokyo University of the Arts
• NYU Shanghai
• Gulf Photo Plus