Art History

Art history is the scholarly study of visual culture across time, concerned with understanding works of art and architecture as objects that carry historical, social, political and aesthetic meanings and that reflect the cultures that produced them. It asks not only what images and objects look like, but what they are made of, how they were made, who made them and why, what they meant to their original audiences, and how their meanings have changed as they moved through history and into new contexts.

At the University of Essex you will acquire a broad foundation in the history of visual culture, engaging with both canonical forms of art and architecture and with the visual culture that has been overlooked or marginalised, including medical photography, tattoos and objects from political protests. You will develop the skills to make connections between visual forms, wider social and political forces, and developments in other disciplines, learning to look carefully, think historically and argue about images with precision. The programme runs over three years full time.

Art history graduates move into careers in museums, galleries and cultural heritage institutions, arts administration, auction houses, the art market, publishing, journalism, education, design and the creative industries. The visual literacy, research skills and cultural knowledge the degree develops are also valued in communications, public relations, heritage tourism and arts policy. Many graduates go on to postgraduate study in art history, museum studies, curatorial practice, cultural heritage management or conservation, developing specialist expertise for curatorial, research or professional practice careers.