History of Art
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, and Modern Art Oxford, as well as The Ruskin School of Art.
The core academic staff of the department work on subjects from medieval European architecture to modern Chinese art, and over fifty associated academic staff include teachers and researchers across the full global and historical range of art and visual culture. This offers students the opportunity to take courses and receive supervision on a very wide range of topics and develop individual interests in art history.