Courses and structure

Teaching and learning

There are between 20-30 students accepted on to this programme each year.

In Fine Art each year you will be allocated a studio space appropriate to your needs. This will be your base for practical work for the duration of the year. All the studios are mixed; students from across all three years share the studio spaces and provide valuable peer support for one another.

A broad range of technical help from our staffed research laboratories will support your practice. Each year you are assigned a Studio Practice Tutor and a History of Art Tutor who will be part of a group of staff with overall responsibility for supporting and assessing your progress.

Throughout the Studio Practice course you will be taught through individual tutorials in your studio space, group tutorials, mixed-year group studio-practice seminars and the Link Seminar (co-taught across both departments). This enables a valuable exchange of ideas between all students on the programme.

In History of Art, a rigorous and diverse range of 20-week courses concentrate on the art and visual culture of the modern period internationally (primarily since 1945), and on issues both affecting and reflected upon by contemporary art practices. The courses explore a wide range of theoretical, methodological and archival perspectives that have influenced the formation of the discipline of the History of Art.

Within this framework, you are expected and encouraged to examine shifting conceptions of the artist and to explore Visual Culture in its widest political, historical, aesthetic and technological contexts.

The course introduces you to an array of philosophical and theoretical debates, which bear on the understanding of the status of the art practice in broader social context. These include approaches to moving image, space, architecture, vision and perception, exhibition and display, sexuality, gender and post-colonial culture.

Degree structure

The degree is divided into three levels, each of which corresponds to a year of study. The programme consists of two components: the Fine Art Studio Practice course and the History of Art course. Link Seminars, taught across all three levels, explore the interaction between the History of Art and theory, contemporary art practice and models of interdisciplinary and expanded art practice.

Year 1

Studio Practice focuses on the acquisition of fundamental knowledge and gives you the basic practical skills necessary to initiate your research. You will gain experience of making art independently and an awareness of the interaction between the History of Art and theory as it relates to your studio practice.
Your tutors assess your Studio Practice coursework continuously and your work is also assessed through an end-of-year presentation.

History of Art is comprised of two compulsory courses: Introduction to Art History and Level 1 Methodologies Lab, delivered through a series of theme-based lectures and seminars. The aim of these courses is to familiarise you with a range of approaches to the History of Art as a discipline and to provide basic critical awareness of Visual Culture.

Through close reading of theoretical and historical texts, and engagement with a range of visual materials, you learn to analyse and discuss not only artefacts seen in a museum or gallery, but also the everyday environment, architecture, urban space, the body and so on. Assessment is by essay and project work.

You must pass all components to progress to the following year.

Year 2

Studio Practice in Year 2 begins to deal with more complex issues and a selective application of acquired knowledge and practical skills. It is a period of experimentation and synthesis, expanding and deepening your practice.

Your tutors assess your Studio Practice coursework continuously and you make a presentation of selected work for a viva voce in the third term, where you will be asked to discuss your work in depth.

History of Art in Year 2 consists of two course options delivered through a series of year-long lectures and seminars. Courses on offer include: Cities of Modernity: Urban Space in the 20th Century; Museums, Galleries, Exhibitions – Framing Art; Beckett and Aesthetics; Patterns of Perception; Post-Modernities; The Moving Image and Practicing Theory.

Assessment is by 3,000-6,000-word essays and research files.

Year 3

Studio Practice at this level reflects an independent, self-motivated practice and your potential to work as an artist. You will demonstrate a high degree of understanding, critical awareness and independent judgement. At this level you will have consolidated your practical and critical skills in preparation for the Final Exhibition and further independent practice.

Your tutors assess your Studio Practice coursework continuously and at the end of the year you mount an exhibition of your Studio Practice for assessment, which is then open to the public.

History of Art in Year 3 requires you to take the equivalent of two year-long Special Subjects or one year-long Special Subject plus a Dissertation. Special Subjects on offer include: Animating Architecture; Philosophy and...; Visualising Difference; Sites of Memory; Images in Conflict; The Truth in Painting; Performance Matters and Subcultures.

Assessment is by 3,000-6,000-word essays, research files and documentary projects.

Invited artists, curators, gallerists, administrators and funders will provide you with specialist advice and further information to complement your studies and prepare you for professional life after graduation.

Skills and careers

Our Art programmes are aimed at equipping you with the necessary skills to develop independent thought and confidence in your practice. As well as this, these skills will be of use in other career paths you may wish to follow.

Our BA programmes enable you to progress to postgraduate level in art-related disciplines. In addition, the interdisciplinary nature of the programme will enable you to progress to a variety of careers: practising artist, art historian, arts administrator, gallery curator, arts journalist, teacher, lecturer, writer, conservationist or designer. Students have been successful in many fields including media, museums, galleries, education, the music business and academia.

While at Goldsmiths, our students actively seek opportunities to exhibit their work through external networks. Many have continued to be successful, practising artists long after graduating, winning major prizes and exhibiting around the world.

The Turner Prize shortlist has consistently included at least one of our former undergraduates, including Angela de la Cruz in 2010. Six of the prize-winners have studied here: Grenville Davey, Antony Gormley, Damien Hirst, Gillian Wearing, Steve McQueen and Mark Wallinger.

See a full list of Department of Art alumni who have been nominated for the Turner Prize.

The Department of Art provides you with a series of opportunities for specialist advice and further information to complement your studies and prepare you for professional life after graduation. Our students actively seek opportunities to exhibit their work beyond Goldsmiths through external networks whilst they are here. Many continue to be successful practising artists long after graduating.

The skills you'll develop

Critical and analytical skills; creative and practical skills; ability to express ideas clearly; IT skills.

• Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths
• Our alumni

About the departments

The Department of Art

We specialise in making, curating and writing about contemporary art in a dynamic, critical and interdisciplinary environment. We've a world-leading reputation that brings together students and researchers from all over the world.

We work with a network of artists, curators, galleries and museums both in London and internationally to create an inspiring and dynamic place in which to study and develop an artistic practice. Many graduates of Goldsmiths Art Department are among the most recognised names working in art today.

The Turner Prize shortlist has consistently included at least one of our former undergraduates, including Angela de la Cruz in 2010. Six of the prize-winners have studied here – Grenville Davey, Antony Gormley, Damien Hirst, Gillian Wearing, Steve McQueen and Mark Wallinger. See the full list of Alumni Turner Prize winners.

The latest Research Assessment Exercise (2008) confirmed that Goldsmiths’ Department of Art has retained its position as one of the top Fine Art research departments in the country.

Goldsmiths’ Art students form an important part of the stimulating environment that is the London art scene. The Department’s international reputation enables it to establish and maintain links with many of the world’s most prestigious institutions and university Art departments. This, together with the cosmopolitan nature of the student body, provides unique opportunities to develop cross-cultural collaborative projects.

More information about the department can be found on the Department of Art's pages.

Open Days

Find out more about the Department of Art Open Days.

Please also see College-wide open days.

Facilities

Following rapid expansion in the Department of Art over the last two decades, our spectacular new Ben Pimlott Building opened its doors to students in January 2005. It provides purpose-built teaching space on campus, including some of the art studios, lecture theatres, and digital media labs.

The large north elevation of the building is entirely glazed, flooding the building with natural daylight and revealing the unique mix of studios and digital media research laboratories within. The studios are naturally ventilated and benefit from generous floor-to-ceiling windows.

A two-storey chunk of the box space has been removed at high level to leave a roof terrace, which is wrapped with a metal structural scribble making the building an unmistakable landmark on the south London skyline.

The department provides space for:

• art studios
• performance work
• installations
• temporary projects and exhibitions
• a range of research laboratories

You also have access to the Rutherford Building, which integrates library, computing and language learning facilities. It allows access to information for learning, scholarship and research at a single point, breaking down the boundaries between traditional and electronic resources.

Studios

All students have their own studio space. This is a place in which to work, to meet and spend time with other students, and to have tutorials. It is also a base from which to organise your work in other parts of the college – such as the various research laboratories, the workshops, and the library – as well as your research visits to galleries and exhibitions in London.

The studios are open, and are occupied by students from all three years of the course. This arrangement maximises opportunities for conversation and exchange, and helps greatly to encourage sharing of knowledge, interest and experience between students.

Further details on our Department of Art facilities and laboratories.

Staff

The Department of Art has 47 academic staff. We also have 19 technical staff providing a service from our research laboratories. See a full list of our Art academic staff and their research interests.

Annual Degree shows

Our annual undergraduate degree shows take place in June and are held at Goldsmiths.

Private View

Thursday 14 June 2012 from 6pm to 9pm

Open to public

• Friday 15 June 2012 from 10am-7pm
• Saturday 16 June 2012 from 10am-7pm
• Sunday 17 June 2012 from 10am-4pm
• Monday 18 June 2012 from 10am-7pm

Admission is free.

The Department of Visual Cultures

The Department of Visual Cultures provides a culturally diverse and intellectually challenging environment for exploring and producing new forms of contemporary art-theoretical practice.

We specialise in the histories and theories of modern and contemporary visual practices. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, we look at art in an international context and consider the ways in which it engages with urgent social, cultural and political issues in the world today.

We explore visual culture within a framework of critical theory, philosophy and cultural studies. Included are issues of cultural difference, performativity, visual display, aurality, encounters with audiences and the production
of subjectivities.

Our approach to learning, teaching and research is exploratory and innovative, yet rigorous. All students are encouraged to develop independence of thought by discovering, evaluating and making appropriate use of a wide range of historical, theoretical, creative and often also collaborative approaches to research and writing.

It's both what we teach and research, and how we do so, that give our programmes their distinctive character in academia.

Our Department has approximately 235 undergraduates, over 100 taught postgraduate students and over 70 MPhil/PhD candidates.

Staff research interests encompass a range of topics, you can find more about the staff here.

Why choose Art History at Goldsmiths?

• Goldsmiths is renowned for its strengths in the creative and visual arts, as well as in the more traditional humanities subjects. Goldsmiths also offers a lively extra-curricular culture;
• The Department has an international reputation for innovation in the field of visual culture. It offers students a vibrant, intellectually challenging learning environment;
• Our syllabus enables you to pursue a specialised area of interest as well as develop a broad practical and intellectual understanding of the whole field of modern and contemporary art history and visual culture;
• All our programmes are supported by dedicated virtual learning environments, and we offer extensive computing facilities;
• We have a well-equipped book and audio-visual library on site, plus access to the library facilities of the University of London and the range of specialist libraries, museums and collections scattered throughout London;
• We are located in an area of South London that is fast developing its own vibrant art scene. Goldsmiths is around ten minutes by train from Central London. We are ideally sited for first hand study of modern and contemporary art in the capital’s many internationally renowned galleries and museums.

Student and graduate profiles

Alexis, BA Fine Art & History of Art

“Moving from Melbourne, Australia, to study at Goldsmiths was an amazing education for me. I concentrated on photography and architectural history, which allowed me to explore London with my camera and immerse myself in looking at, thinking about and making art. I spent most weekends at museums and galleries around the city, and I spent many cold nights out taking photographs. Despite the challenges of the programme, having so much time to read, think and make artwork was such a luxury – one I continue to appreciate long after graduation.

I now live in New York, and teach as a Visiting Associate Professor in the Department of Digital Arts at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. I’ve recently exhibited my work at venues like the Smithsonian and the Armory Show in the US, the Japan Media Arts Festival in Tokyo, and galleries in Seoul, Melbourne, Sydney, Paris and elsewhere. Even though I work with new media now, I continue to draw on the education I received at Goldsmiths. The critical perspective I gained in my art history studies was invaluable and continues to inform my work, teaching, and thinking.”

Sophie, BA Fine Art & History of Art (graduated 2001)

"As a third year student I now feel completely absorbed within the intense bubble of artistic creativity that is Goldsmiths. Goldsmiths has changed the methodology of my thinking to become more inquisitive and insightful.

This highly valued institution has kept me on my toes; together tutors and students unveil and share diverse perspectives, instruction, analysis and knowledge that contributes to the building of a student’s character and individual method of practice."

Grace, BA Fine Art & History of Art

"I was interested in studying at Goldsmiths since I felt that it is an open place for individual development. You can choose your own ‘path’ within the system, both in the studio practice side of the course and in the visual cultures.

There are a variety of courses offered by the Department, and I found them interesting as they do not offer the traditional or conventional view towards 'history of art', but a contemporary approach."

Tal, BA Fine Art & History of Art

"Through the encouraging support of tutors in a creatively bustling environment, I was able to remain faithful to my own creative urgencies by materializing them through a range of diverse media.

In this course, the combination of a practical and a theoretical approach to art beyond a simplified parallel co-existence, encourages an in-depth realisation of conflicting implications on representational issues arising."

Andreas, BA Fine Art & History of Art