Study Details: MA 1 year full-time,
2 years part-time
British art making has been at the heart of a wide range of worldwide networks and dialogues, from the material culture of early medieval Britain, through the painting and sculpture of eighteenth-century and Victorian Britain, to British Modernism and Britart.
Investigate notions of national, imperial, cosmopolitan and global visual and material cultures; engage with debates about British and European cultural identity and study a variety of works from painting, sculpture and architecture, through to graphic art, design and craft. You can explore photography, installation, performance and contemporary works engaging with new media, digital and other innovative technologies.
We are one of the largest History of Art departments in the UK. We have developed successful partnerships with museums, galleries and country houses that will enrich your studies, and may offer you placement opportunities and privileged access to collections.
2:2 or equivalent.
We will consider applications from mature students or applicants without formal academic qualifications if you have substantial related experience. We may ask you for an interview in this instance.
For fees and funding options, please visit website to find out more
We offer amazing partnerships and placements with numerous museums and galleries that will help you in your future career. You’ll have the opportunity to engage first hand with some of the most exciting collections of British art in the country. We work with the National Gallery, Tate, the V&A, and York Museums Trust. We have excellent relationships with regional museums, galleries and country houses— including the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, Castle Howard, the Hepworth Wakefield, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, and the Henry Moore Institute.
Our collaborations will support your learning and research through modules jointly designed with the partnership institution, and with opportunities for exclusive partnership studentships, work experience and privileged access to collections. The course prepares you for higher research degrees and a range of possible careers. Read about some of our alumni and where their degree has taken them.
Core modules
Research Skills in History of Art
Option modules
You will also study four option modules. Examples can be found below. Some option module combinations may not be possible. The options available to you will be confirmed after you begin your course.
British art option modules
Art and Imagery in York Minster
Painting on Light: Stained Glass in the Medieval Tradition
Rethinking Aestheticism
South Asian Renaissance: Indian Court Painting, c.1526-1857
JMW Turner
Other option modules
American Carnage: Politics, Violence and Subjectivity in Art, 1990-Now
Art, Magic and the Miraculous in Renaissance Italy
Ceramic Arts of the Islamic World: Curating Histories
Makers, Making, and Modes of Fashion Production since 1765
The Modern Woman: Fashion and Global Modernities 1780-1940
Who Owns Antiquities? The Politics of Museology and Archaeology
Interdisciplinary option modules
You can also choose a limited number of modules from those offered by other humanities departments at York and by our centres.
Centre for Medieval Studies (CMS)
Centre for Renaissance and Early Modern Studies (CREMS)
Centre for Eighteenth-Century Studies (CECS)
Centre for Modern Studies (CModS)
Our modules may change to reflect the latest academic thinking and expertise of our staff, and in line with Department/School academic planning.
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