City by city: Renaissance art in Italy
- Monday, 12 January 2026
- Monday, 19 January 2026
- Monday, 26 January 2026
- Monday, 2 February 2026
- Monday, 9 February 2026
- Monday, 16 February 2026
Enrol
| Standard: | £90 |
| Concessions: | £85.50 |
Please book a ticket to access the event. You will receive an E-ticket with instructions on how to access your online events, films and resources via your National Gallery account.
Please note, only one ticket can be booked per account.
Concessions are for full-time students, jobseekers, and disabled adults.
This event is open for Members priority booking until Sunday, November 23, 2025.
About
Journey across Renaissance Italy alongside art historian Jo Walton to discover how six city-states, from Florence to Venice, to Urbino, shaped one of the most creative and influential periods in European art.
The Italian Renaissance was one of the most dynamic eras in the history of European art and culture, marked by extraordinary developments in painting, architecture, sculpture, philosophy and science. Across the diverse states of the Italian peninsula, artists, patrons and thinkers transformed the way people saw, imagined and experienced the world.
In this six-week course, we’ll explore six Italian city-states, each with its own system of government and distinctive artistic identity. We’ll see how art and architecture were used to express power, civic pride and religious devotion, to embellish public spaces, secure dynastic legitimacy and forge political alliances. Along the way, we’ll encounter some of the Renaissance’s most remarkable figures and masterpieces, discovering how this period of experimentation and discovery laid the foundations of the modern world.
City by city: Renaissance art in Italy
We will begin with the city of Florence, the city where so many of the developments of the Italian Renaissance began and where new ideas flourished in the 15th and 16th centuries, with artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli and Michelangelo. Under the patronage of the Medici, and other wealthy citizens, Florence became a centre for new artistic forms, heightening the prestige of the city.
City by city: Renaissance art in Italy
During its heyday, the highly independent Republic of Venice was one of the most powerful city-states in Europe, controlling the trade routes between East and West. We will look at how the vast wealth of the city and its links with the countries of the eastern Mediterranean and beyond impacted on the art and architecture of the city.
City by city: Renaissance art in Italy
Through the 1300s, when the Papacy was absent from Rome, the city became a desolate, fever-ridden ruin, with warring families fighting for ascendancy. With the return of the Popes, money was lavished on rebuilding, creating a new capital city for the Papal States, reflecting the dynastic ambitions of the Popes themselves. From the building of the Sistine Chapel, to the devastating Sack of Rome in 1527, we will discover the story of art in the Papal city.
City by city: Renaissance art in Italy
Milan was ruled by the Visconti and then the Sforza families, whose dynastic claims to power were - at times - very shaky. They used patronage to bolster their position amongst the ruling houses of Italy, including commissioning Leonardo da Vinci, the quintessential Renaissance Man, as the city’s engineer. We will learn about his Last Supper as well as many of his other contributions to the city.
City by city: Renaissance art in Italy
The town of Urbino was ruled by Federico da Montefeltro, a military expert (who also had a slightly doubtful claim to his position). With the wealth accrued from his very successful career as a mercenary commander he was able to rebuild much of his tiny state, creating the exquisite Palazzo Ducale in the centre of Urbino. His love of classical ideas led him to commission works from artists and architects such as Piero della Francesca and Luciano Laurana.
City by city: Renaissance art in Italy
Mantua was ruled by the Gonzaga family, who employed some of the most celebrated Renaissance artists of the day, such as the painter Andrea Mantegna and the architect Leon Battista Alberti, to create classically inspired works for the city. The marriage of Francesco II Gonzaga to Isabella d’Este, from nearby Ferrara, meant that one of the most fascinating female patrons of art of the Renaissance made the city her home.
Your tutor
Jo Walton has lectured for The Arts Society for over 15 years, specialising in the art and architecture of the Italian Renaissance, as well as aspects of British 20th-century painting and sculpture. She has also worked extensively with The Art Fund, The Friends of Dulwich Picture Gallery and local art groups around the UK and was a volunteer guide at Tate Britain and Tate Modern for over a decade.
Watch again
Can't make Monday afternoons but don't want to miss out? No problem, you can watch again.
Each session is recorded and made available to you for the duration of the course, up until 2 weeks after the final session.
A video of the week's lecture will be uploaded and available for you to watch via your National Gallery account on Wednesday afternoons, in time for the weekend
Format
Each session lasts for 2 hours and includes a lecture delivered by the course lecturer followed by a short break and further discussion.
Time will be allowed for questions and discussion via Q&A.
Handouts will be available via your National Gallery account on Monday mornings.
Optional homework is provided to help you prepare for the following week's session.
Booking information
This is an online ticketed course hosted on Zoom. Please book a ticket to access the course. Only one ticket can be booked per account.
You will be emailed an E-ticket with instructions on how to access the course via your National Gallery account. All course information including your Zoom link, weekly handouts, and recordings will be available here.
Your link will be valid for the duration of the course.
Booking after the course has started
You are welcome to join the module at any point during its three-week run. You will gain access to all the recordings until two weeks after the final session.