The five blocks you'll study in this module are:
Block 1 – Art and its Institutions
In the first block, you'll explore the different ways in which art can be understood, practised and experienced in the modern world. Starting from the invention of the art museum or public gallery in the mid-eighteenth century, it shows how this type of institution has helped to define the work of art as a special category of object ever since. It examines a range of artistic practices, from painting and sculpture to ceramics and film, and considers the hierarchies and exclusions that determine why some images and objects are singled out for special veneration as art. Examples featured range from the Louvre Museum to the Hepworth Wakefield, from Josiah Wedgwood to Sonia Boyce.
Block 2 – Visual Cultures of Modernity
This block explores the transformation of visual cultures brought about by the massive diffusion of non-art images, thanks to a series of new reproductive technologies such as lithography, photography and digital image-making. It covers the expanded field of images that shape the modern visual environment, including not only works of art by figures such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Hannah Höch but also advertisements, scientific illustrations, political satire and family photographs. By analysing these images, you'll explore how modernity has been characterised by the mass reproduction of images, transforming not only how images are made but also how they are used and interpreted.
Block 3 – Art in the Modern World
In this block, you'll explore how art has been transformed since the late eighteenth century as artists have sought to engage with different aspects of modern life, from revolution and industrialisation to sexual politics and disability rights. You'll also be introduced to important concepts such as ‘modernism’ and ‘avant-garde’, which have been used by art historians to analyse and explain these artistic transformations. Key figures featured include Edouard Manet, Marcel Duchamp, Tina Modotti and Jackson Pollock. Overall, the block provides an engaging and accessible introduction to modern art, taking in developments not only in Europe and the United States but as far afield as Mexico and Japan.
Block 4 – The Past in the Present
This block explores the new and growing fascination with the past that has developed since the late eighteenth century in reaction to the upheavals of modernity. In studying the block, you will examine artefacts, images and institutions from a range of historical and geographical contexts that each engage with the past in some way. As you will discover, this engagement with the past is nevertheless profoundly shaped by the values and concerns of the present. The block also provides an introduction to heritage studies, an interdisciplinary field of inquiry closely related to art history. Examples featured range from paintings by the Pre-Raphaelites to dresses by Laura Ashley, from an open-air museum in Stockholm to a Shinto temple in Japan.
Block 5 – Visions of the Anthropocene
In the final block, you'll explore the contribution that art and visual cultures have made to the growing awareness of a rupture between humans and the natural environment over the course of the modern period. In so doing, you will examine a broad range of materials, from paintings to performance art, taxidermy to urban planning. The block examines the contribution of historical figures, such as William Morris, alongside the work of more recent artists and designers, such as the architect Buckminster Fuller and the photographer Edward Burtynsky. You'll also be introduced to the concepts of ‘The Anthropocene’ and ‘ecocriticism’, and consider how they can be used to analyse art and visual culture.
By studying this module, you will:
You’ll get help and support from an assigned tutor throughout your module.
They’ll help by:
Online tutorials run throughout the module. While they’re not compulsory, we strongly encourage you to participate. Where possible, we’ll make recordings available.
Course work includes:
You’ll be provided with five printed module books, and have access to a module website, which includes:
You can study this module on its own or use the credits you gain towards an Open University qualification.
A236 is a compulsory module in our:
A236 is an option module in our:
Art and visual cultures in the modern world starts once a year – in October.
This page describes the module that will start in October 2026.
We expect it to start for the last time in October 2034.
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the academic regulations, which are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.
| Start | End | Register by | England fee |
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| 03 Oct 2026 | 30 Jun 2027 | 10 Sep 2026 | £4,088 |
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If your income is not more than £25,000 or you receive a qualifying benefit, you might be eligible for help with some of these costs after your module has started.
There may be extra costs on top of the tuition fee, such as set books, a computer and internet access.
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Please note: your permanent address/domicile will affect your fee status and, therefore, the fees you are charged and any financial support available to you. The fee information provided here is valid for modules starting before 31 July 2027. Fees typically increase annually. For further information about the University's fee policy, visit our Fee Rules.
