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Baroque to Rococo (In-Person)
Year course
+44 (0)20 7942 2000
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Dive into a remarkable period in the history of European art from 1650-1790, and immerse yourself in extravagance: from the grandeur of French Baroque to the exuberance of Italian Rococo.
The art world during the early modern period was remarkable for its stylistic diversity. Throughout Europe, increasing wealth together with better opportunities for travel, widened the art market beyond the traditional spheres of church and state. Luxury goods such as lacquer, textiles, and ceramics started to arrive from the East in great quantities. Large-scale cultural and social shifts, from the Enlightenment to the Industrial Revolution, had a significant impact on all areas of European culture. On this course, in addition to your expert-led lectures, you'll enjoy an exclusive 18th Century toilette demonstration, and you'll deep dive into the V&A's world renowned collections with inspiring gallery talks.
This course runs every Thursday for 10 weeks at V&A South Kensington, plus you'll get an extra 10 weeks to catch up with all your lecture recordings once the course ends. Not able to join us in person? You can also attend the course lectures online, both live and on catch-up.
Not ready to end your learning journey in 1790? Check out our 3-term year course, The Story of European Art at the V&A, 1650-1930.
For more details on how our courses work, see V&A Academy online questions · V&A
This course is suitable for participants 18 and over.
The art world during the early modern period was remarkable for its stylistic diversity. Throughout Europe, increasing wealth together with better opportunities for travel, widened the art market beyond the traditional spheres of church and state. Luxury goods such as lacquer, textiles, and ceramics started to arrive from the East in great quantities. Large-scale cultural and social shifts, from the Enlightenment to the Industrial Revolution, had a significant impact on all areas of European culture. On this course, in addition to your expert-led lectures, you'll enjoy an exclusive 18th Century toilette demonstration, and you'll deep dive into the V&A's world renowned collections with inspiring gallery talks.
This course runs every Thursday for 10 weeks at V&A South Kensington, plus you'll get an extra 10 weeks to catch up with all your lecture recordings once the course ends. Not able to join us in person? You can also attend the course lectures online, both live and on catch-up.
Not ready to end your learning journey in 1790? Check out our 3-term year course, The Story of European Art at the V&A, 1650-1930.
For more details on how our courses work, see V&A Academy online questions · V&A
This course is suitable for participants 18 and over.
Course Leader
Kathy McLauchlan
Dr Kathy McLauchlan is an Art Historian specialising in French painting and lecturer with the Arts Society, Morley College and Oxford University.
A lovely space to learn which was inside the museum. Everything was laid out well and extremely well organised. Plenty of good quality resources to use and a lot of help was given throughout the course. Previous V&A Academy Attendee
V&A Academy. A learning environment you can trust.
Being up close with treasured objects from the V&A's collections brings your learning to life. Spend time with our incredible collections, as well as with our expert tutors and your fellow learners.
Course overview
Step back into a fascinating period of social and cultural change, and join expert speakers to discover how a growing art market reshaped relationships between artists, patrons and audiences.
Weekly lecture themes include:
French Grandeur
Art and its International Connections
Artists and Patrons
...and many more!
By the end of this course, you'll understand the contributions made by individual artists, designers and architects including Wren, Chardin and Gainsborough within a wider political and cultural context.
Weekly lecture themes include:
French Grandeur
Art and its International Connections
Artists and Patrons
...and many more!
By the end of this course, you'll understand the contributions made by individual artists, designers and architects including Wren, Chardin and Gainsborough within a wider political and cultural context.
Ready to dive deeper? Take a look at the full course programme by clicking 'download programme' below.
Enrol now
Year course: Baroque to Rococo (In-Person)
1 October 2026 - 3 December 2026
£645.00
Need help enrolling? Talk to the admissions team:
+44 (0)20 7942 2000
Open 10.00 - 13.00, Monday to Sunday (closed 24-26 December)
