NEW – Making Sense of Modern and Contemporary Artistic Expression: The Pleasures of Complicated Art
On campus
Dr Kate Aspinall
Tuesday 9 – Thursday 11 September 2025
£375
Course description
Modern and contemporary art can be complicated and chaotic. From the mangled paint of Francis Bacon and the giant metal spiders of Louise Bourgeois to more experimental media, such as Andy Warhol’s serialised photography, Félix González-Torres’s piles of candy, and Maurizio Cattelan’s taxidermy horses, understanding art these days requires a diverse and fluid language of artistic meaning.
This course addresses art in the post-modern age, proposing that pleasure, even where less than comfortable, remains directly accessible through the time-tested methods of slow looking and other cultivatable acts of attention. These skills are the bedrock of art-historical analysis and yet are not as intuitive as they seem, especially when it comes to contemporary works. The act of looking is both fundamental and deeply personal. It is conditioned by foreknowledge and can be deceptive in unexpected ways. Aimed at all levels of experience, the course will involve both lectures and site visits to museums and galleries across London as we unpack how to read (and what it means to appreciate) complicated art with a particular emphasis on Western works produced between 1945 and 1990. We will address media ranging from the more traditional realms of painting and sculpture to experiments in crossing boundaries and defying expectations, such as installations, performance, and lens-based works.
How to book
To book your chosen course(s) please use the book now button below and you will be taken to our booking system where you can book and pay (Visa / Mastercard / GooglePay / ApplePay).
At checkout, you will be prompted to login (if you have previously booked gallery tickets) or to register and create a new account.
(Please note: this ticketing login is not the same as your Short Courses VLE login if you have one).
Please note that in the EU new VAT rules for online courses are coming into effect. This means that from 1 January 2025 we will be required to charge EU participants their local VAT rate. VAT-inclusive prices for EU students will be displayed at check-out.
If you have any questions please email us at short.courses@courtauld.ac.uk
Lecturer's biography
Dr Kate Aspinall is an independent historian, writer and artist. Based in London, her research is focused on British visual culture since 1900. She has recently contributed to a new publication from Yale University Press on Frank Auerbach’s intimate relationship with drawing. She teaches occasionally for Yale in London and has a wide range of experiences with public speaking, from lecturing for the Art Society to television appearances, and delivering tailored talks to galleries and public institutions, including Tate, the Towner and Pallant House in addition to previous work with the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation and the Feliks Topolski Studio. Kate has degrees from the University of St Andrews, The Courtauld and the University of East Anglia.