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Art History and Architecture

  • Affords Visits to NYC Museums and Galleries
  • Examines All Media
  • Explores Style, Movements, and Forms

These courses provide a forum for exploring the world of art—from ancient artifacts and ruins to contemporary painters and photographers. You will tour New York City’s renowned museums and galleries with art historians and museum professionals, as you develop an understanding of the history, cultural context, and aesthetics of art movements and trends.

This semester, study in-person or from anywhere in the world from the safety and comfort of your home through online or remote instruction.

Art and Archaeology of Ancient Greece

Explore the art and architecture of ancient Greece and key moments in Greek art and culture

2025 Fall
1 section

Art of the Ancient Near East: From the Sacred to the Profane

 Explore ancient Near Eastern art, architecture, and culture

2025 Fall
1 section

Hello to Yellow! A History of the Color Yellow in Art

Explore the color yellow and how it has been used by artists from paleolithic times to...

2025 Summer
1 section

Looking at Art: Seeing Beneath the Surface

Understand why and how art moves us and expand your ability to enjoy works of...

2025 Summer
1 section

Michelangelo, Leonardo, and Raphael in Renaissance Florence

Explore the works and interconnected lives of three masters of the Italian...

2025 Fall
1 section

The Language of Art: Narrative Images

Explore how text and language have been used in art from the Renaissance to...

2025 Fall
1 section

The Roots of Modern Painting: From Manet to Cezanne

Explore the history and development of Modern art from the mid-19th century through the 20th century.

2025 Summer
1 section

What Is American in American Art: 1775-1925

This course surveys American art, including paintings, drawings, and sculpture, from 1775 to 1925.

2025 Fall
1 section

Where the Magic Happens: The Artist's Studio and the Creative Process

Explore famous artists’ studios from the Renaissance to...

2025 Fall
1 section

Words on the Street: Architecture and Typography

Explore the history of typography as it relates to architecture

2025 Fall
1 section

Baroque Masterpieces at the Met

Explore the magnificent Baroque masterpieces of Italy, Spain, and France in the classroom and at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

2025 Summer
1 section

A History of the World Through Jewelry

Take a tour around the world by looking at the history of jewelry from the New Stone Age to the...

2025 Fall
1 section

The History of NYC Photography Through the Lens of Iconic Photographers

Explore the photographic history of New York City through the eyes of famous photographers.

2025 Fall
1 section

The New York Art Scene

Explore New York City’s museums and galleries virtually to gain insight into the meaning of and inspiration for today’s art.

2025 Spring
+ 2 more semesters
5 sections

Contemporary Photography: From Richard Avedon to Ai Weiwei

Learn about prominent contemporary photographers and the stylistic approaches they use to depict portraits, landscape, still life, and street scenes.

2025 Spring
1 section
2025 Spring
1 section

Architecture of New York

Survey the history of New York architecture, from the Dutch Golden Age to the Global City of the 21st...

2025 Spring
1 section

Art in Dark Times

Explore how famous artists used art to respond to the greatest social and political challenges of their...

2025 Spring
1 section

Dishing the Dirt on Artists: From Renaissance to Modern Art

Learn about artists’ lives and famous artworks in this entertaining trip through art history.

2025 Spring
1 section

Two Eccentric Superstars: Salvador Dali and Andy Warhol

Explore Salvador Dali’s and Andy Warhol’s, art, legacy, and complex...

2025 Spring
1 section

Islamic Art History: A Focus on Cairo

Explore the history, architecture, and artistic importance of Cairo.

2025 Spring
1 section

Artists of the Woodstock Artists Association

Explore the history and influence of the Woodstock Artists Association

Contemporary Figurative Painting: From Lynette Yiadom-Boakye to Luc Tuymans and Kerry James Marshall

Get to know the artists who are leading today’s figurative painting movement.

Sculpture Through the Ages: Depictions of the Human Body

Explore how artists from the Paleolithic age to the 21st century depicted the human form through sculpture.

Forever Young: Great Artists Who Left Us Early

Explore the masterpieces, legacies, and mysteries of famous artists who died young.

Modern Couples: Art, Intimacy, and the Avant-Garde

Explore the artistic legacy of the most famous couples in modern art.

The Dutch Tradition: From Rembrandt to de Kooning

Explore 350 years of Dutch art from Vermeer to Mondrian. 

The Surreal Universe of René Magritte

Explore the art of Magritte and his surrealist contemporaries.

The History of Art: Drawings From Da Vinci to Degas

Explore the art of drawing through the works of famous...