Overview

About Art History

In a world where visual literacy, creativity, and understanding the way people communicate throughout history is more important than ever, art history is an incredibly important major. You will develop your visual and analytical talents while gaining the breadth of knowledge, intellectual curiosity and writing skills that only a liberal arts education can provide.

Let us introduce you to global and local visual traditions through courses in Modern and Contemporary Art, Medieval Art and Architecture, 19th-Century Urbanism, Islamic Art and Architecture, Egyptian and Near Eastern Cultures, and Ancient Mediterranean Civilizations. You'll study works first hand and conduct independent research through required internships at New York's premier museums, galleries and art collections.

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CLASSES OF NOTE

Ritual, Religion and Rulers

Explores art in a variety of media, from cave painting, to masks, to Gothic cathedrals. Works are examined in relation to the religious beliefs and political structures of various Western and non-Western cultures.

Women in the Visual Arts

Explores the work of women artists and representations of women throughout history, with an emphasis on the modern period. Issues of gender are examined in relation to the subject matter, stylistic preference, media, reception, and criticism of female artists.

The Madman and the Savage

No two artists have attracted a greater legend, or occupy a more important place in the public consciousness than Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin. Explore the life and works of Van Gogh and Gauguin in great depth, separating fact from fiction and myth from reality.

Beyond the Classroom

Internships

  • The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • The Guggenheim Museum
  • Whitney Museum of American Art
  • Christie's Auctions
  • The Barnes Collection

After Wagner

  • Christie's
  • Stark Museum of Art (TX)
  • Brooklyn College master's in art history
  • NYU master's in art history

Anna Huddle ’15

“Art history and French studies major Anna Huddle '15 talks about her internship at Christie's New York.”

Learning Community with Dr. Scott

“It all comes together — getting to know the third graders over the course of the semester, and understanding how to reach them, combined with art history content and presentation skills — and they feel good about it.”