Birkbeck Department of History of Art
Our Relationship
The Society has a long-standing relationship with Birkbeck, University of London. We are affiliated to Birkbeck’s Department of History of Art, as our logo says. Our association dates right back to the start of the Society in 1981 when it was launched by a small group of Birkbeck alumni as ULEMHAS (the University of London Extra-Mural History of Art Society).
Affiliation gives us unique access to art history experts and contacts in the art world. Lecturers from Birkbeck are generous with their support for the Society’s activities, and provide at least one of the six or so free evening lectures each year. A number of the Society’s events are held in Birkbeck’s landmark Keynes Library in Gordon Square.
As an affiliation benefit, all members of the Society are invited to join the main Birkbeck Library in Malet Street at no cost and enjoy its wide collection of art history and associated titles (see the panel at the side of this page).
For our part we support Birkbeck History of Art students through The London Art History Society Research Fund, which is administered by the college and currently provides money to help with student travel, general costs associated with academic research and conference costs. We also fund an annual prize for the best MA dissertation each year.
Read more about Birkbeck and our relationship by clicking the panels below.
Birkbeck’s Department of History of Art
Everything you need to know about the department. Discover the wide range of courses offered at all levels, ranging from excellent short Certificate courses of a single term’s duration through to part or full-time undergraduate courses of 3-4 years, one-year conversion courses to MA entry, and a wide range of postgraduate studies.
Short Certificate Courses at Birkbeck
Would you be interested in doing a Certificate course at Birkbeck? Click the link above to find out more.
All Certificate modules earn either 15 or 30 credits which can go toward an eventual Certificate of Higher Education History of Art awarded by Birkbeck University of London. That Certificate in turn will allow you to progress directly into the second year of a number of BA courses including BA History of Art. But there is no requirement for anyone doing a Certificate course to go any further than you wish to, and each module — which lasts one or two terms (£650/£1300) — is complete in itself, and offers an undergraduate-level introduction to the subject in question.
the london art history society review and Birkbeck
Our annual scholarly journal, the Review, contains many contributions from Birkbeck lecturers and students. Back copies of the Review, together with an index, are available online from this website by clicking the link above.
Blog
Events, talks, student discussions, diaries, news — the busy life of the Department seen through the eyes of its Head of Department, Dr Leslie Topp, and its students.
Birkbeck's School of Arts full programme
Use the link above to discover Birkbeck’s wide range of courses in areas which complement art history — literature and creative writing, languages, philosophy, social history, film, media and cultural studies.
Birkbeck Library
The Birkbeck Library in the Malet Street building holds an important collection of art historical material, as invaluable for general background reading as it is for detailed study. All London Art History Society members are entitled to acquire a Birkbeck Library card and use the library on a reference basis completely free of charge. Enhancing your membership of the Library to include borrowing rights is possible for a price of £70 per year. More information.