Art History

• Combination of historical and theoretical depth. Faculty specialized in the fields of Italian Renaissance and Baroque art, Northern Renaissance and Baroque art, including pre-modern globalization, the art of the Enlightenment, twentieth-century art, art criticism, new media, and materials and techniques.
• Excursions abroad.
• Unique curatorial programme.

The master-track in Art History has three specializations: Early Modern Art, Modern and Contemporary Art, and Curatorial Studies. Students specialize in one of these three specializations. Specific qualifications are required for Curatorial Studies.

All students take the course Art History Now, which offers the fundamental theoretical and methodological preparation for the Master's thesis. Students select the rest of their coursework from our course overview (see table above)

Art History is an international discipline. During the scheduled excursions you will familiarize yourself with art in foreign countries, museums, art academies and exhibitions. The Master's track Art History offers you the opportunity to study abroad or follow an internship abroad.

Art is in general of great importance to our contemporary society, as museums are taken by storm on a daily basis. Depending on your own interests and specialization, your job prospects are varied, therefore it is only natural that graduates in the field of Ancient, Modern and Contemporary art end up in varying professions.

After you have graduated the MA track Art History, you can officially call yourself an art historian. Your title shows you have completed a versatile degree programme, where you have acquired a lot of knowledge of works of art, artists, their clients, the professional field, practice, and the public. Your job opportunities after completing this degree are very diverse. Traditionally, our graduates work in museums, where they look after the collections, curate exhibitions, and put together educational material. On the other hand, they often work in the media, for art-oriented shows, write art critiques or work for a publishing house. Art historians are also active in municipal, provincial or government departments, in policy or executive positions, for example in heritage management. Particularly in the last couple of years, there has been an increased interest in cultural-historical heritage and its social significance (cultural tourism). This has increased the demand for people who can to present art in all its aspects in an appealing way.

Conducting research in the field of Art History is one of the most wonderful challenges you can face as a Master's student. In nearly all art history related jobs, research is an important aspect of your work, whether you are a curator in a print room or a policy officer at a municipality, employers will call upon your research skills and critical thinking. During your Master's, you will learn what art historical research entails, how you can conduct it yourself, and how you can apply these skills to the benefit of society. The field of research is extensive, including, analyzing and interpreting works of art, focusing on the technique of the artist and material properties of the artwork, the museological and social context -in other words, the art world-, theoretical approaches and archival research. Ideally, your research alligns with our staff's specializations, but this does not have to be the case. Our staff members will be able to teach and supervize you because of their great research background. Additionally, our staff members have numerous international contacts in a range of fields, therefore it would be possible to study to conduct reasearch abroad, as the curriculum also permits.