Fine Art and History of Art

Fine art and history of art is a degree that develops both the practice of making art and the scholarly understanding of art as a cultural, historical and theoretical phenomenon. Fine art is concerned with art-making as a form of inquiry, a space where you develop a personal practice and engage with ideas, materials and the history and theory of contemporary art. History of art provides the intellectual and critical framework for situating that practice within the broader contexts of art's histories, its institutions and its theoretical debates.

The combination makes for a particularly well-rounded arts education, as each discipline enriches the other.

At Goldsmiths, which is one of the most internationally significant art schools in the world and a place with a distinctive and influential creative culture, this three-year full-time programme develops both studio practice and art historical scholarship. Goldsmiths has produced many of the UK's most significant contemporary artists and its graduate community has shaped contemporary art in ways that continue to reverberate. The history of art component develops your critical and analytical skills, your ability to engage with art across periods and cultures, and your understanding of how contemporary art connects to and departs from its historical precedents.

You will develop your own artistic practice through studio work, critique and engagement with the wider art world, while building the scholarly vocabulary and analytical tools to think and write about art with precision and depth.

Graduates of fine art and history of art programmes pursue careers as artists, critics, curators, gallery directors, arts administrators, educators, writers and practitioners in the broader cultural sector. Further study in art history, fine art or curatorial practice is a natural option.