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Oxford University

Department of History of Art

The department’s core academic staff work on subjects from medieval European architecture to modern Chinese art, and its associated academic staff include teachers and researchers spanning the global and historical range of art and visual culture.

Entrance to the Bodleian Art, Archaeology and Ancient World Library

Entrance to the Bodleian Art, Archaeology and Ancient World Library. Credit: Oxford University Images

Overview

Oxford is an outstandingly exciting setting for the study of the history of art. Although art history has traditionally concentrated on the ‘fine’ arts of painting, sculpture and architecture, it shares many of its fundamental questions and methods with related disciplines such as archaeology, anthropology, literary studies, and political, social and cultural history. The department is uniquely positioned to reflect this cross-disciplinary potential.

Working within the Faculty of History, teaching and research is supported by world-class museums, galleries and collections, including:

  • the Ashmolean Museum
  • the Bodleian Libraries
  • Christ Church Picture Gallery
  • the Pitt Rivers Museum
  • the Museum of the History of Science
  • Modern Art Oxford
  • The Ruskin School of Art

The breath and depth of academic expertise in the department, provides students with the opportunity to take courses and receive supervision on a very wide range of topics and develop individual interests in art history.

Courses offered

Humanities Division

Oxford is at the forefront of international research in the humanities, with five subject areas judged to have the highest volume of world-leading 4*-rated research in the UK in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.

“As we delve into our particular subjects, we’re invited not to lose sight of the general awe of what it means to be human,” said Julia, an MPhil student in Linguistics and Comparative Philology. Oxford offers an unparalleled range of Humanities subjects, from music and fine art to ancient and modern languages.

The Humanities Division comprises around a third of the University's community of staff and students, offering taught graduate and research degrees in a very wide range of subjects. Humanities departments and faculties attract outstanding students, academics and researchers from across the globe. As a result, graduate students have the opportunity to undertake their studies and research in a stimulating, challenging and highly rewarding intellectual environment.

Some of these subjects are relatively new, and cross the boundaries of traditional disciplines. Others are areas of academic research that have long been recognised as of central importance, and they include some that few other universities are still able to support. In each case, the objective is to sustain and to teach the highest standards of scholarship. The dynamism of intellectual activity is evident in the wide variety of open lectures and seminars, in addition to those for specific courses.

You will have access to an immense range of research material, including digital resources. These resources are provided through Oxford’s impressive library system, based on the central Bodleian libraries, through the work produced by the University's research projects, and through the rich and diverse holdings of its museums.

In addition to materials and support focused on conveying subject-specific knowledge, there are a wide range of facilities aimed at the personal and professional development of students, strengthening their existing skills, developing new skills, and preparing them for careers after they have completed their studies.

Further information