You may be familiar with Renaissance altarpieces or Dutch still lives, but have you ever noticed that they sometimes include depictions of luxury goods imported from across the world? Did you know that the British architect Edwin Lutyens was responsible for designing the capital of modern India? Why did the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei fill Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall with porcelain sunflower seeds? These are just some of the fascinating questions that are addressed by the rich range of material shaped by cross-cultural encounters in the four blocks that comprise this module. As the module progresses, you are expected to develop a degree of independence in learning to the extent that you are able to complete independent analyses using the skills you have learned in the course of your study.
Block 1: European Art and the Wider World c.1350-1550
You'll examine art and visual culture during Europe’s ‘age of exploration’ to discover what happened when art objects moved between different cultures, or were created in a cross-cultural context. Imported objects that appealed to wealthy Europeans (such as Islamic metalware, Chinese porcelain, or African ivories) became prized luxury goods to be imitated, collected, or depicted in paint. In Spain, Islamic, Jewish and Christian cultures created a fusion of architectural styles, such as in the world-renowned Alhambra Palace, shaped from the Red Fortress (Qal'at al-Hamra) built under Muslim rule. Venice was the trading hub that exemplified the meeting of Europe, Byzantium, and the Islamic world in its architecture, luxury commodities and art.
Block 2: Art, Commerce and Colonialism 1600-1800
You'll explore the art and visual culture of a period in which the major European powers competed with each other for global dominance. The influx of ‘exotic’ goods, above all from Asia, transformed European taste and artistic production, including seventeenth-century Dutch painting, and gave rise to the vogue for ‘Chinoiserie’ in eighteenth-century Britain. Art and architecture were exported across the Atlantic to Latin America, where some of the most spectacular works of the Baroque era were created, as well as to North America, where Thomas Jefferson built his ideal classical villa, Monticello. Local circumstances and cultural traditions helped to shape the transfer of artworks and artistic models from one context to another. A key theme for this book is the relationship of art and visual culture to slavery and the slave trade.
Block 3: Empire and Art: British India
This block invites you to explore the role of the visual arts in the British Empire by examining artistic interactions between Britain and India. You'll discover how British painters and photographers responded to India and how their encounter with British art initiated new Indian art traditions that ranged from the vernacular to the rise of modern Indian painting and experiments with photography. And did you know that the principles of Indian design informed the teaching of British artisans and how the droplet-shaped motif on Kashmir shawls became associated with the Scottish town of Paisley? The question of imperial architecture will also feature, and you'll examine the arguments that were made for and against European classicism and the mixed architectural styles of the Indo-Gothic and so-called Indo-Saracenic.
Block 4: Art after Empire: from Colonialism to Globalisation
In this final block, you'll explore the relationship between art and visual culture in Europe and the ‘wider world’ from the early 20th century through to the contemporary era of globalisation. Artists such as Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse appropriated non-Western art in ways that would later be deemed to be Eurocentric, whereas in the interwar period, avant-garde artists such as the Surrealists were radically anti-imperialist. The complex interaction between art, politics, and post-colonial struggle is explored in the work of Diego Rivera and other Mexican muralist painters, as well as more recent installations, multi-media works, and film. You'll study the role of museums, international exhibitions and biennials alongside patterns of artistic migration across continents and the increasing importance of communication technologies under globalisation.
Supporting learning resources
The module uses a number of interactive resources accessed via the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). Both video and audio materials will give you the opportunity to view films shot inside museums or on location in front of monuments. The module will also provide you with the opportunity to engage with programmes from the BBC and the OU archives, as well as exciting new material filmed for the OU as part of the landmark BBC television series Civilisations.
You will use OpenStudio at several points in your study of the module, enabling you to collaborate with other students by sharing images. Online forums will also help you exchange ideas with your peers as well as the module team.
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. Where possible, we’ll make recordings available. While they’re not compulsory, we strongly encourage you to participate. The module also includes visits to major museums and galleries in the U.K. and Ireland. An alternative online activity is provided for students who are unable to attend in person.
Course work includes:
You’ll be provided with four printed module books and have access to a module website, which includes:
Set books:
You can study this module on its own or use the credits you gain towards an Open University qualification.
A344 is a compulsory module in our:
A344 is an option module in our:
Art and its global histories 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 2029.
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.
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There may be extra costs on top of the tuition fee, such as set books, a computer and internet access.
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