Stories of Art
The Stories of Art courses take the National Gallery’s world-class collection of paintings as their starting point and allow learners to explore over 800 years of art history.
Divided into seven periods each course is designed and delivered by an expert in the field, often in conjunction with guest speakers, to national and international audiences.
Register for a single course or undertake all seven.
As part of each module you will be able to:
- Learn with expert lecturers
- Study alongside international learners
- Further your knowledge with suggested reading materials
- Learn when suits you – recordings are available for a week
- Put your questions to an expert
"I took copious notes, did the optional homework, bought books, watched videos, and went to websites. I was busy, I was enthralled, I learned, I shared with my family. Now I am excited to return to see the paintings in a new light, with a deeper knowledge of the techniques, the artists, the history of acquisition, the politics of the times when they were created, and even the framing."
- Stories of Art participant
Stories of Art courses
More Stories of Art courses to be released over the next few months.
Course Tutors
Siân Walters is an art historian and the director of Art History in Focus. She studied at Selwyn College, University of Cambridge and has been a lecturer at the National Gallery for over 20 years. Her specialist areas of research are Italian painting, Spanish art and architecture, Flemish and Dutch painting and the relationship between dance and art. Siân also lectures for The Wallace Collection and The Arts Society and leads specialist art tours abroad. She was a lecturer at Surrey University for many years and has lived and worked in France and Italy.
Course Tutors
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.
Course Tutors
Dr Matthew Morgan is Museum Director of Turner's House in Twickenham and is an Associate Lecturer at Birkbeck, University of London. He has worked in the heritage sector for nearly 10 years, including at the Royal Collection and the National Gallery. Prior to that he was a Director at Christie’s. He has taught diverse audiences across the UK as well as making a series of short films which can be seen on YouTube.
Course Tutors
Dr Amy Mechowski is a freelance art historian, lecturer and curator, specialising in issues of sexuality and gender in 19th‐century art and material culture. Among her most recent publications is a chapter in ‘Sculpture, Sexuality and History’, exploring the display and reception of 19th‐century sculptures of the female nude in the V&A (Palgrave, 2019). Previously working as a Curator at the Museum and as Head of the V&A Academy, she now leads courses for Sotheby’s Institute of Art.
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Taster sessions
The broad chronological periods covered in the Stories of Art modules are complemented by stand alone in-focus sessions on single artists, including Giotto and Piero della Francesca. These lectures offer a ‘taster’ of the Stories of Art approach to teaching and learning.