Exploring the modern
Weekend art history course
26 November 2022 10am - 5pm27 November 2022 10am - 5pm
Wolfson British Academy Room, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts
£420
Friends of the RA book first
Making Modernism
Terms and conditions
Join art historian Ben Street to explore the wide-ranging movement of modernism, as well as uncovering its lesser-known stories through a variety of expert-led talks and discussions.
Please note: this is an on-site event only
In recent years, the traditional stories of modern art have been revisited through new research and exhibitions, granting previously overlooked voices a more central role. So it is with the Royal Academy’s exhibition Making Modernism, which focuses on women artists working in Germany around the year 1900. This two-day course will open out the contexts of this exhibition by thinking more broadly about the untold stories of modernism. By doing so, what might sometimes seem a well-trodden period of art history will reveal hidden gems, reminding us that history is an active process, open for discovery.
By contextualising the work of Paula Modersohn-Becker, Käthe Kollwitz, Gabriele Münter and Marianne Werefkin within broader ideas of modernism, this course will rethink what modern art is, illuminating its relevance for our contemporary moment. Each lecture in the course will take a thematic view, incorporating new scholarship on previously underrepresented artists and charting the ever-evolving positions on the established tenets of modern art. This includes the complex birth of western abstraction, the role of new institutions for art in the early twentieth century, and the roles of collaboration and cross-disciplinary work in the history of modernism.
This course will include a visit to the Making Modernism exhibition, a talk by its curator Dorothy Price, and engaging and enlightening discussions with experts in the field. No prior knowledge is required.
Ben Street is an art historian and lecturer based in London. He is the author of numerous books, including How to Enjoy Art: A Guide for Everyone (Yale University Press, 2021) and the children’s book How to be an Art Rebel (Thames and Hudson, 2021). He has been a lecturer and educator for the National Gallery, Tate, Dulwich Picture Gallery and the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and is currently an Associate Tutor and Researcher at the University of East Anglia, specialising in postwar American painting.
Minimum age 18.
Our courses and classes programme
Our varied programme of short courses and classes provides an opportunity to explore subjects ranging from life drawing to the history of exhibitions and arts management, led by expert tutors and practising artists. These courses introduce traditional art-making processes, as well as perspectives on art history, theory and business.
Give this course as a gift
All of our courses can be purchased as a gift for a friend or family member – giving the gift of education and a remarkable experience. To arrange a personalised Gift Voucher, please contact the Academic Programmes Team, by emailing academic.programmes@royalacademy.org.uk