Art history is about how we see and have seen the world around us. Art historians study material produced for particular functions (such as religious worship, decorating and furnishing interiors, and clothing), for commentary on the social and political issues of the day, as well as for visual pleasure.
Why art history at Sussex?
- Sussex is ranked among the top 10 universities in the UK for art history: 5th in The Times Good University Guide 2012 and 6th in The Complete University Guide 2011-12.
- Excellent facilities, including a comprehensive slide library and student working space that is the envy of many larger institutions. Hosted by a small, friendly department with a close-knit community of students and staff.
- Unusually for a UK university, we cover a wide range of periods and places from Byzantium to Renaissance Italy and contemporary America.
- Art history at Sussex is part of the School of History, Art History and Philosophy, which delivers high-quality teaching informed by cutting-edge international research in a friendly and supportive atmosphere.
Course topics may include:
- Art in Context: Michelangelo and Raphael: Art of the Papal Court in the 15th and 16th centuries
- Art in Context: Objects and Art: Art and Politics in Britain 1979-the present
- Art in Context: Origins of Modernism 1870-1910
- Art in Context: Paris the Crucible of Modernism 1900-20
- Art in Context: The Museum and its Objects
- Art of the Modern Era (c1700 - the present)
- Art on Site
- Before Modern Art (c27BC - c1700)
- Communicating Art
- Exhibition Studies
- Methods and Approaches to Art History I
- Methods and Approaches to Art History II
- Objects of Art
- Period in Art History: Art and Society: Art after 1945
- Period in Art History: From Picasso to Bacon: Painting and Sculpture 1920-1970
- Period in Art History: Palaces, Churches, Piazzas: Art and Society in Renaissance Italy
- Period in Art History: Victorian Art
- Stories of Art
- Topic in Art History: Architecture and Interiors
- Topic in Art History: Art and its Literary Context
- Topic in Art History: Commemorative Art – Monument and Memory
- Topic in Art History: From Decorative Arts to Material Culture
- Topic in Art History: Photography in Context
- Topic in Art History: Representing Women
Charlotte's perspective
‘At Sussex you have a wide choice of courses, ranging from Byzantine art to contemporary African art, 
plus more theory-based courses focusing on the wider visual culture.
‘The art history professors and tutors at Sussex are very friendly and welcoming. I’ve had a fantastic experience studying art history at Sussex, gaining lifelong friends and happy memories.’
Charlotte Sluter
