Making Sense of Modern and Contemporary Art: The Pleasures of Looking
On campus
Autumn School on Campus
Tuesday 8 – Friday 11 September 2026
Dr Kate Aspinall
£545
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.
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.