Lands of the Baltic: Art, Masters, Cities 1750-1900

Online course

+44 (0)20 7942 2000

This online course is due to start within the next 48 hours (or it may already have begun!). To book, please call our Contact Centre on +44207 942 2000. While we will make every effort to get you into the course as soon as possible, we cannot guarantee that you will be enrolled in time to join the first day live. But don't worry: all our sessions are recorded, so you won’t miss out on any content.

Discover the art world of the Baltic region, and learn how artists from Denmark and Norway in the west to Finland and Lithuania in the east emerged as leading figures in European modernism.



  • Learn from our world-class experts wherever, whenever: watch lectures live or view the recording later in your own time.

  • Time to explore: 12 hours of lectures over six weeks.

  • Consolidate your learning: download lecture notes, copies of the presentations, and additional study materials from our secure Microsoft Teams learning environment.

  • Join the conversation: share your perspective with your fellow students, and support each other in your further enquiries outside of class time.

  • Learn at your own pace: lecture recordings and study materials are available for six weeks after the course ends, so you'll never miss a minute.

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course photo
Portrait of Course Director Dr Kathy McLauchlan

Course Director
Dr Kathy McLauchlan

Dr Kathy McLauchlan, art historian specialising in French painting and lecturer with the Arts Society, Morley College and Oxford University.

Love the fact I can watch these in my own time at the weekend Previous V&A Academy course attendee

Course overview

Discover the art world of Scandinavia and the Baltic between the late 18th and early 20th centuries. This course considers the rise of dynamic cultural centres, including Riga, Helsinki, Copenhagen and Oslo. We also explore the work of leading masters like Christen Købke in Denmark, Jan Matejko in Poland, Akseli Gallen-Kallela in Finland, Hilma af Klint in Sweden and Edvard Munch in Norway. And we ask the following question: what distinguishes these ‘masters of the north’ from artists in other parts of Europe?

By the late 19th century the north European art scene was remarkably vibrant and innovative. Increased prosperity and a rise in nationalist feeling helped to generate a powerful cultural revival from Denmark and Norway in the west to Finland and Estonia in the east. In painting, literature and music, artists led the way in a general awakening of national awareness. At the same time, a number of artists from the Baltic region emerged as leading figures European modernism.

Expert lecturers include Justine Hopkins, Charlotte Ashby and Julia Griffin.

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Online course: Lands of the Baltic: Art, Masters, Cities 1750-1900

31 May 2023 - 5 July 2023

£120.00

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)