Stories of art 1900-Present

What is modern and contemporary art? Where did it come from, and can it always be considered ‘art’ at all? These questions have long shaped responses to the art of the last century and continue to resonate today. This course explores key ideas around modernity and beyond, helping to demystify both 20th- and 21st-century art.

The 20th century saw a dramatic change in the visual arts, from representational works on canvas to conceptual art. By the end of the First World War, many artists no longer depicted figurative images. A new kind of art emerged where performance, collage and the found object all came into play. We see a trajectory from traditional paint on canvas and bronze or marble statues on plinths, to works made of wool, sand, plastic, rice and even sound, evolving even further into conceptual art, installations, interventions, performance and video art.

Across six sessions, we will explore how artists responded to modern life and its legacies, tracing a trajectory that continues into the present day. We consider abstraction, new media, feminism, gender politics, race and global perspectives, as well as the shifting centres of the art world, from Paris to New York and, increasingly, to a global network of cities and practices in the 21st century.

We will also examine the evolution of the art market and institutions, from the rise of commercial galleries in the 19th century to the global contemporary art scene today. As artists continue to question what art is and who it is for, this course offers a framework for understanding how modern and contemporary art has developed, and where it might go next.

Lucrezia Walker lectures regularly for the National Gallery. She is Adjunct Professor at the University of North Carolina London Program where she teaches the undergraduate Art History course. She was Lay Canon (Visual Arts) at St Paul’s Cathedral where she continues to serve on the Visual Arts Committee. She has written several books on 19th- and 20th-century artists and art movements.

Can't make Wednesday evenings 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 Friday afternoons, in time for the weekend.

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 Tuesday mornings.

Optional homework is provided to help you prepare for the following week's session.

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.

You are welcome to join the module at any point during its six-week run. You will gain access to all the recordings until two weeks after the final session.