Art History
The Department of Art History at Sussex is a dynamic and friendly group of students, faculty and support staff, working in a stimulating, research-intensive setting. Art history matters because in studying the art of a culture, you study all the aspects of that culture, from social life and history to technologies and skills, to economics and beliefs. Understanding how images work is central to understanding how the world is portrayed. Art history at Sussex is highly rated and well respected internationally and nationally both in terms of our research and our teaching.
Art history was rated 3rd in the UK for research in the 2008 Research and Assessment Exercise (RAE). 100 per cent of our research was rated as recognised internationally or higher, with 70 per cent rated as internationally excellent or higher, and 45 per cent rated as world leading.
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Teaching in the Department of Art History
At Sussex you will be part of a thriving community of people who are committed to interdisciplinary scholarship. Art history here is not a simple list of great artists but a real exploration of the problems, issues and complexities that lie behind image-making. We cover a wide range of topics from Byzantium to African masks, Renaissance Florence and 1990s Britain. Our excellent facilities, including a comprehensive slide library and student working space, are the envy of many large institutions.
Research in the Department of Art History
The Department of Art History at Sussex hosts one of the largest clusters of postgraduate research in the discipline in the UK. We have an outstanding reputation for research. The skills of the faculty represent a unique array across the study of European, Asian and American art and culture, and include the study of methodology and critical theory. The Department provides a friendly and stimulating environment for the exchange of ideas, in which intellectual life and scholarly endeavour thrive.
Each term the Department runs a series of research seminars led by Sussex faculty and students and outside speakers. These seminars are open to everybody.
Head of Department
Meaghan Clarke
Department office
T: +44 (0)1273 873525
E: s.maddox@sussex.ac.uk