Membership
Become a Member and enjoy free access to exhibitions, previews, priority booking, freshly curated content and much more.
Join today
The Family Portrait in British Art: 1520-1900
Weekend course
+44 (0)20 7942 2000
Investigate the most popular art form in Britain until the end of the 19th century. Using a range of fascinating examples in the V&A collection and beyond, you will discover the motives to memorialise the family for contemporary viewers and for the generations to come.
Read more
Course Leader
Angela Cox
Angela Cox was the first Head of Education at the National Portrait Gallery and a former Course Director of a V&A Year Course. She specialises in British painting, most recently researching portraits of children and has organised courses on aspects of British art at the V&A, the National Portrait Gallery, Birkbeck College and elsewhere.
I thoroughly enjoyed the quality, content and range of objects explored in the weekend courses 2017/18 course student
Course overview
This course will explore the ways in which families are depicted in British portraits over four centuries. Developments in portrait styles can be understood both in the context of evolving social attitudes to family life and also to changes in aesthetic taste. However, although a rich source of historical information is offered by these portraits, they are not simply snapshots of the past. The aim of this course is to understand the visual language of the portraits and unravel their multiple meanings. You will gain an overview of family representation, including the impact of photography. Also explore some themes in depth, concluding with a tour of portraits displayed in the V&A's British Galleries.
Further information
• Refreshments served • Price reductions available for Seniors (60+), jobseekers (ES40 holders) and registered disabled people
Enrol now
Weekend course: The Family Portrait in British Art: 1520-1900
9 February 2019 - 10 February 2019
£147.00 - £195.00
Call to book +44 (0)20 7942 2000
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)
