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Arts of the Islamic World (In-Person)
Year course
+44 (0)20 7942 2000
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.
What is Islamic Art? Embark on a journey of discovery from past to present, as we seek answers to this question: exploring the visual arts of calligraphy, illustrated books and manuscripts, and revealing the wonders of ceramics, metalwork, glass and textiles…
With the emergence of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula and its swift expansion towards Iran and the Mediterranean, a new visual language rapidly evolved, with diverse regional characteristics. Distinctive new styles emerged across ceramics, metalwork, glass and textiles. Illustrated manuscripts reached unprecedented levels of technical refinement. Impressive palace and mosque architecture provided a backdrop to court life and religious practice. On this course, you’ll not only learn from expert archaeologists, curators, collectors and artists, but you’ll also get up close with real examples of Islamic Art. You’ll have exclusive opportunities to tour the V&A’s conservation studios, and reveal the wonders of the V&A’s collections through specialist gallery talks.
This course runs every Tuesday 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.
For more details, see V&A Academy questions · V&A.
This course is for participants aged 18 and over.
With the emergence of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula and its swift expansion towards Iran and the Mediterranean, a new visual language rapidly evolved, with diverse regional characteristics. Distinctive new styles emerged across ceramics, metalwork, glass and textiles. Illustrated manuscripts reached unprecedented levels of technical refinement. Impressive palace and mosque architecture provided a backdrop to court life and religious practice. On this course, you’ll not only learn from expert archaeologists, curators, collectors and artists, but you’ll also get up close with real examples of Islamic Art. You’ll have exclusive opportunities to tour the V&A’s conservation studios, and reveal the wonders of the V&A’s collections through specialist gallery talks.
This course runs every Tuesday 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.
For more details, see V&A Academy questions · V&A.
This course is for participants aged 18 and over.
V&A Academy Course Director
Dr Helen Glaister
Dr Helen Glaister is an art historian specialising in Chinese Ceramics and Decorative Arts. Helen has been Course Director since 2006 and previously worked at the British Museum. She has lectured for Birkbeck College, the British Library and is Senior Teaching Fellow at SOAS. Current research focusses on cultural interactions of the Qing.
A wonderful opportunity to learn in a world class museum Previous V&A Academy Course 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
Get ready to discover 1400 years of Islamic art, and come to know the beauty and breadth of the art, architecture and artefacts with expert lecturers from the V&A and beyond.
Weekly lecture themes include:
Medieval Egypt and Syria
The Safavid Empire
The Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries
…and many more!
By the end of this course, you’ll have a deeper understanding of the breadth of forms, styles and techniques which make up Islamic Art, and will have learned about how Islamic art has developed – and continues to develop – from the Middle Ages right up to the modern day.
Ready to dive deeper? Take a look at the full course programme by clicking 'download programme' below.
Enrol now
Year course: Arts of the Islamic World (In-Person)
29 September 2026 - 1 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)
Header image: Tile, Iran (probably Isfahan), ca. 1865-1885. Museum Nr. 230-1887