AH 275 - London Museums

London contains some of the world’s greatest art collections, housed in public museums, most of which are free to enter. This course comprises a history of Western art from the Ancient World to Post-Modernism with each session taking place in the museum that best represents the period in question. These range from some of the world’s most famous museums (including the British Museum, the Victoria & Albert Museum and Tate Modern) to relatively small, but fascinating institutions with collections focused on particular eras (including Dulwich Picture Gallery and the Wallace Collection). We will analyze the development of form, space and representation over the millennia using some of the greatest works of art ever created as examples, such as the Parthenon Marbles and masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Monet and Van Gogh. The course will include detailed consideration of the non-Western cultures that have profoundly influenced Western art, including Asian and African, and of the way Britain’s economic and colonial history has impacted on London’s museums. The main emphasis of the course will be on developing a physical and emotional response to art through in-depth scrutiny of individual works, ‘live’ in the gallery. Each session will end with detailed note-taking from the work that has had the strongest impact on the individual student.