All upcoming Art & Architecture programs

Beat the winter blues and immerse yourself in the warmth of creativity at two of Baltimore’s cultural gems: the Walters Art Museum and the Baltimore Museum of Art. The visit to the Walters includes a special tour of the “Latin American Art/Arte Latinoamericano” exhibition. The Baltimore Museum of Art visit includes the opportunity to see the Cone Collection, which includes 500 works by Matisse. This tour is led by art historian Tosca Ruggieri. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Discover the power of reflective writing guided by the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s popular Writing Salon, Mary Hall Surface. Inspired by paintings of the visionary Belorussian-born French artist Marc Chagall and by poetry across time, participants slow down, look closely, and reflect to explore love as an animating force in their lives.

Drawing on one of the greatest Post-Impressionist and early modern art collections in the world, Barnes Foundation educator Penny Hansen guides a five-part series of online tours that examine the paintings of artists who helped shape a revolutionary period in the history of art. High-definition Deep Zoom technology provides close-up views of their canvases. This session highlights Amedeo Modigliani and Chaim Soutine.

Smithsonian Associates speaker Paul Glenshaw returns to the Art + History series to look at great works of art in their historical context. In this program, Glenshaw explores one of the most iconic patriotic images in American art—and one of the most reproduced—to reveal a surprising history that includes its creation in, of all places, Germany. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, one of the most important and multifaceted Baroque painters, revolutionized European painting with his stark naturalism and dramatic use of light and shadow. Notorious for his violent temper, culminating in exile after a fatal brawl, he was both criticized and admired. Art historian Joseph Paul Cassar examines Caravaggio’s life and the stylistic innovations and thematic complexity that made his paintings celebrated and controversial. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1 credit)

Drawing on one of the greatest Post-Impressionist and early modern art collections in the world, Barnes Foundation educator Penny Hansen guides a five-part series of online tours that examine the paintings of artists who helped shape a revolutionary period in the history of art. High-definition Deep Zoom technology provides close-up views of their canvases. This session highlights Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, and Georges Seurat.

Turkey possesses one of the world’s most fascinating histories and richest cultural heritages. It is at once both Eastern and Western, ancient and modern, Christian and Islamic, sensual and austere. A seminar led by independent scholar Nigel McGilchrist pays tribute to this complexity, celebrating the dramatic beauty of Turkey’s landscapes and its wealth of historic monuments and archaeological treasures. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1 credit)

Discover three of New York City's most renowned cultural treasures. Spend an afternoon at the Frick Collection with artwork spanning from the Renaissance to the early 20th century; get a private tour of the Neue Galerie New York before opening hours to see the main collection and a special exhibition of German masterworks from 1890 to 1940; and take a guided tour of the Morgan Library & Museum, then explore its 350,000-plus illuminated manuscripts, rare books, manuscripts, and drawings on your own. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1 credit)

Discover the power of reflective writing guided by the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s popular Writing Salon, Mary Hall Surface. Inspired by 20th-century artist Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings of the New Mexican desert, participants slow down, look closely, and reflect on the transformative power of place in our lives.

In mid-19th-century France, artists responded to sweeping societal changes by rejecting Romanticism and embracing Realism. Led by Gustave Courbet and Honoré Daumier, the movement depicted everyday life and challenged elite Salon audiences. Art historian Nancy G. Heller explores Realism’s evolution, highlighting its impact on painting, sculpture, photography, and literature. She traces its spread beyond France to Germany, Italy, and America, where it influenced Thomas Eakins and the Ashcan School, emphasizing social truth over idealized beauty. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)