History of Art

History of art is the discipline that asks how and why paintings, sculptures, buildings, photographs, films and objects of design come to look the way they do. It takes visual culture seriously as a subject of rigorous academic enquiry, exploring the formal properties of works, the conditions of their production, their cultural and historical contexts, and the interpretive frameworks through which they have been understood across time. The discipline develops visual literacy, the ability to look carefully and describe what you see precisely, alongside the analytical and historical skills of academic argument.

At Cambridge, this three-year full-time programme offers one of the most intellectually demanding and wide-ranging art historical educations in the world. You will develop deep knowledge of art and architecture across periods and cultures, learning to situate works within their historical contexts while also engaging with the theoretical and methodological questions that shape the discipline. The Fitzwilliam Museum and the university's many collections are part of the learning environment, giving you direct access to original works as a natural part of your academic development.

Teaching is conducted through lectures, seminars and supervisions, the one-to-one or small-group teaching for which Cambridge is internationally known.

You will develop critical and analytical skills, the ability to construct sustained written arguments about visual culture, and the visual literacy to engage with art and architecture across a very wide range of cultural traditions and historical periods.

Graduates of history of art programmes move into museum and gallery work, art criticism and journalism, auction houses and the art market, arts administration, curatorial roles, education, cultural diplomacy, heritage and academic research. The analytical and communication skills developed through the degree are also valued more broadly in publishing, finance, law and the cultural industries. Postgraduate study in art history, museum studies or conservation is a natural option.