Art History Courses
Gain even further insight into a favorite subject and share your own observations with other art lovers in one of the Museum's Art History courses. Classes meet for either Thursday or Saturday lectures, and focus on a variety of different artists, genres, and themes of artistic importance. See how geography and history have shaped the development of the visual arts through the ages—with one of the nation's most respected art museums as your classroom. You may register for programs by phone or in person at the Museum's Visitor Services desks. To register by phone, call (215) 235-SHOW (7469). A nonrefundable service charge for each space reserved is added to all phone orders (Members $2.50, Nonmembers $3.50). There is no service charge for reservations made in the Museum. Preregistration is recommended for all courses. Free Infrared Listening Systems are available at the West Information Desk for auditorium lectures. All courses are held in the Van Pelt Auditorium. Prices for Art History courses include Museum admission. All information is subject to change.OR Saturdays: February 4 and 18, 10:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Paid tickets required$25 ($20 members)
To purchase tickets for the full course [$100 ($80 Members)], please call the Ticket Center at 215-235-7469 between 9AM and 5PM, Monday - Friday.
Lecturer: Catherine Hahn, Ph.D. candidate, Art History, Tyler School of Art, Temple University
Have you ever wondered why the art of the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists is so universally revered? Why are Monet, Renoir, and van Gogh, among others, household names? This course examines some of the greatest treasures of late nineteenth-century art so that we can come to terms with what made both styles so revolutionary.
- Lecture 1: What Is Impressionism? Édouard Manet, Berthe Morisot, and Edgar Degas
- Lecture 2: Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Claude Monet
- Lecture 3: Gustave Caillebotte, Camille Pissarro, and Mary Cassatt
- Lecture 4: Vincent van Gogh and Post-Impressionism
OR Saturdays: February 4 and 18, 1:30-3:45 p.m.
Paid tickets required$25 ($20 members)
To purchase tickets for the full course [$100 ($80 Members)], please call the Ticket Center at 215-235-7469 between 9AM and 5PM, Monday - Friday.
Lecturer: Elizabeth A. Anderson, independent art historian
The story of Renaissance art outside Italy is the story of the meeting of two worlds: revived classical antiquity and a still-vigorous medieval culture in Northern Europe and the Iberian peninsula. This meeting gives the art of the various regions its complexity and absorbing interest.
- Lecture 1: What Is (What Do We Mean by) the “Northern” Renaissance?
- Lecture 2: Masters of Fifteenth-Century Flemish Painting
- Lecture 3: The Flemish Influence Farther North: Swiss, German, English Art
- Lecture 4: The Flemish Influence in Spain and Portugal
OR Saturdays: March 3 and 31, 10:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Paid tickets required$25 ($20 members)
To purchase tickets for the full course [$100 ($80 Members)], please call the Ticket Center at 215-235-7469 between 9AM and 5PM, Monday - Friday.
Lectures will examine Rodin’s career through a discussion of some of his key works; the 2012 reinstallation and reinterpretation of the Rodin Museum; the architecture of the Rodin Museum; and the design and restoration of the Rodin garden.
- Lecture 1: Highlights from Rodin’s Life and Work. Lecturer: Matthew Palczynski, Ph.D., Curator, Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia
- Lecture 2: Jules Mastbaum and the Creation of the Rodin Museum in Philadelphia. Lecturer: Jennifer Thompson, The Gloria and Jack Drosdick Associate Curator of European Painting and Sculpture before 1900 and the Rodin Museum
- Lecture 3: The Garden in the Garden. Lecturer: Susan K. Weiler, Partner, OLIN
- Lecture 4: A Boulevard and a Building: The Benjamin Franklin Parkway and the Rodin Museum. Lecturer: David B. Brownlee, The Frances Shapiro-Weitzenhoffer Professor of Nineteenth-Century European Art, University of Pennsylvania
OR Saturdays: April 14 and May 5, 10:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Paid tickets required$25 ($20 members)
To purchase tickets for the full course [$100 ($80 Members)], please call the Ticket Center at 215-235-7469 between 9AM and 5PM, Monday - Friday.
This course introduces the rich and diverse arts of the Islamic world. Moving from the Indian subcontinent to the Museum’s collection of Islamic art, this course explores over a thousand years of architecture, calligraphy, painting, decorative arts, religion, and culture.
- Lecture 1: Writing the Word of God: Calligraphy and the Arts of the Pen. Lecturer: Emily Neumeier, Doctoral student, History of Art, University of Pennsylvania
- Lecture 2: Mosque, Palace, and Garden: Exploring the Built Environment. Lecturer: Emily Neumeier
- Lecture 3: Poets, Painters, and Patrons: Illustrated Manuscript Traditions. Lecturer: Yael Rice, Assistant Curator, Indian and Himalayan Art
- Lecture 4: Making and Collecting Islamic Art in the Twentieth Century. Lecturer: Yael Rice
OR Saturday: April 14, 1:30-3:45 p.m.
Paid tickets requiredCANCELED
Lecturer: Matthew Palczynski, Ph.D., Curator, Woodmere Art Museum, PhiladelphiaMany abstract artists of the twentieth century felt that their art was highly spiritual and that it transcended the day-to-day physical world. This course examines how artists including Constantin Brancusi, Piet Mondrian, Vasily Kandinsky, and Mark Rothko explore spirituality in their work.
- Lecture 1: Striking the Right Chord: Music and Abstraction
- Lecture 2: Color, Abstraction, and Spirituality
OR Saturday: May 5, 1:30-3:45 p.m.
Paid tickets required$25 ($20 members)
To purchase tickets for the full course [$50 ($40 Members)], please call the Ticket Center at 215-235-7469 between 9AM and 5PM, Monday - Friday.
Lecturer: Victoria Fletcher, Museum Educator and Programs Coordinator
Chartres Cathedral (consecrated in 1260) and Saint Peter’s Basilica (completed in 1615) have been popular destinations for pilgrims and casual travelers alike for centuries. Huge architectural feats, these sites are also important theological centers with intriguing histories. This course explores their similarities while also delving into what they meant for different regions, times, and cultures.
- Lecture 1: Chartres Cathedral
- Lecture 2: Saint Peter’s Basilica
For more information, please contact The Division of Education by phone at (215) 684-7580, by fax at (215) 236-4063, or by e-mail at .
