Department of Cultural, Media and Visual Studies

History of Art and Visual Culture

We explore art across periods, media and societies. We're not passive observers but constant questioners -  Why that material? Why that subject? How did people react then? And what does it mean now?

As a small team studying with us means you get to know everyone well. And being part of a larger department allows us to bring in specialised knowledge from other subjects and collaborate with colleagues on interdisciplinary research.

Our degrees

 

Take the Foundation route

Designed for talented UK students whose personal circumstances make achieving our usual entry requirements difficult.

 
Group of students on roof of Wollaton Hall exploring architecture

Undergraduate modules

Watch our academics explain their modules

Close up of statue in museum with students in background

Field trips

Explore art and architecture outside the classroom

Group of four students sitting around a table with laptop, chatting

Studying with us

Get practical experience, study abroad or just share your passions with fellow students.

 

 

I looked at the modules and thought they seemed really interesting and applicable to loads of future careers as well. You don’t have to work in a museum when you come out the other end.

Research

  • Examine the social and material histories of objects and images
  • Explore the processes of cultural production, circulation and consumption

Find out more about our research themes, projects and people

Quality research

In the latest Research Excellence Framework assessment:

  • 90% of our research environment has been recognised as of world leading quality
  • 100% of our impact case studies have been recognized as having outstanding or very considerable impact
 
 

Our research in action

Dr Rebecca Senior, a Henry Moore Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow based in the Centre for Research in Visual Culture, created a series of resources to support institutions grappling with legacies of colonialism by engaging with recent debates over contested art in the UK.

The events of 2020 drew unprecedented attention to cultural heritage as a space that offers untapped potential for critically engaging with imperial British history.

Two people in white boilersuits attempting to push a large statue in a park
 

Find out more about the "Contested Heritage" project

 

Get social with us

 

 

Department of Cultural, Media and Visual Studies

University Park
Nottingham, NG7 2RD

Contact us