Detail of Landscape painting by Turner

Curated visits to some of London’s most interesting art galleries and museums.

At a Glance

  • Held at various Galleries
  • Fridays 12:00 - 13:00
  • 10 weeks | January - March
  • Starts 17 January 2025
  • Single-rate fee: £77
  • Tutors: Michael Paraskos and Richard Barnes

Enrol-by Date

5 January 2025 for our January intake

Booking link

This daytime course is designed for those who want to join a friendly community of art lovers on trips to see some of London’s most interesting (and sometimes challenging!) art exhibitions.

The class is very informal and on our weekly trips to various art galleries and museums across London we will be encouraged to view the works of art on display in a considered and active way, and share our opinions with others in the group.

In each session we will visit a different art gallery or temporary exhibition space in the company of our tutor, and we will be introduced to the theme of the exhibition, aspects of its historical context, or different ways in which the works on display can be viewed. Those joining the class should be aware that we will not be given guided tours of exhibitions which is not permitted in most galleries. Instead, the tutor will give a short introduction to the exhibition visited at the start of each session, and be on hand to talk to us informally, either individually or as part of a small group, as we view the exhibition itself.

The whole of this course will be delivered at different museum and gallery venues around London each week. You will be responsible for your own entrance fees (where charged), travel arrangements and costs when visiting the exhibitions as these are not included in the course fee. Depending on what exhibitions are available outside London, a small number trips to galleries outside the capital might also be included.

The course is suitable for complete beginners, and no previous experience or knowledge of art is necessary, however, the course has a strong social aspect and is much more about enjoying art with a group of likeminded people than a formal academic course.

Class Recordings

These classes are not recorded

 

Course Information

Course Programme

All sessions are from 12 noon but you might like to meet earlier, say from 11:30 at a cafe, to have a chat and a coffee beforehand (all optional of course). 

  • 17 January - Breaking Lines: The World Wide Poetry Network, 1900 - 2000 - Estorick Collection
  • 24 January - Language of the Physical: Katherine Gili Sculpture - Pitzhanger Manor
  • 31 January - TBA
  • 7 February - Brasil! Brasil! The Birth of Modernism - Royal Academy of Arts
  • 14 February - Goya to Impressionism: Masterpieces from the Oskar Reinhart Collection - Courtauld Institute
  • 21 February - The Lost Gardens of London - Garden Museum
  • 28 February - TRIP TO OXFORD - Anselm Kiefer: Early Works at the Ashmolean
  • 7 March - Wes Lang: The Black Paintings - Newport Street Gallery
  • 14 March - Self-Made: Reshaping Identities - Foundling Museum
  • 21 March - Siena: The Rise of Painting 1300‒1350 - National Gallery
  • 28 March - Edvard Munch Portraits, National Portrait Gallery

Course fee does not include entry fees to museums or galleries. Please do not book any tickets or make any travel plans until you have had your place on the course confirmed. Tickets should be booked for entry at 12:30pm or later.

Your Tutors

Photograph of Richard Barnes Richard Barnes is a sculptor, stone carver and letter cutter who trained at the City and Guilds of London Art School. He has worked on the architectural sculpture at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, and is the recipient of the Brian Till Prize for Art History Writing and the annual award of the Honorable Knights of the Round Table for his carving.

His most recent writing includes 'Footfalls on the boundary of another world' published in the anthology, Othello's Island 1 in 2019 and the book Mnemosyne, published 2021


Photograph of Michael ParaskosDr Michael Paraskos is a very experienced adult education tutor, having taught for over twenty-five years. He is a Visiting Professor at York St John University and holds a Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and also teaches art history to students at the City and Guilds of London Art School. 

Michael is a writer of both fiction and non-fiction and has published very widely on art of this period, as well as reviewing exhibitions and novels for BBC Radio 4’s Front Row and The Spectator magazine. His first novel In Search of Sixpence was published in 2016 and his second, called Barfrestone was published in 2024.

Course Fees and Rate Categories
Weeks Standard Rate - Single Rate Internal Rate - Single Rate Associate Rate - Single Rate
 10 £77
£77 £77
Fee rate (single rate) quoted is for the whole 1-term course. Part-payments are not possible

 

Rate Categories and Discounts

As this course operates a single rate, below details are for general information only

Standard Rate

  • Available to all except those who fall under the Internal Rate or Associate Rate category.

Internal Rate

  • Current Imperial College students and staff (incl. Imperial NHS Trust, Imperial Innovations, ancillary & service staff employed on long-term contracts at Imperial College by third-party contractors)
  • People enrolling under our Friends & Family scheme
  • Alumni of Imperial College and predecessor colleges and institutes, including City & Guilds College Association members
  • Students, staff and alumni of the Royal College of Art, Royal College of Music and City, UAL and the City and Guilds of London Art School
  • Students, staff and Governors of Woodhouse College and the IC Mathematics School

Associate Rate

  • Austrian Cultural Forum staff
  • Co-operative College members
  • Francis Crick Institute staff, researchers and students
  • Friends and Patrons of the English Chamber Orchestra
  • Friends of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens
  • Friends of Leighton House/ Sambourne House
  • Friends of the Royal College of Music
  • Harrods staff
  • Historic Royal Palaces staff
  • Lycee Charles de Gaulle staff
  • Members of the Friends of Imperial College
  • Members of the Kennel Club
  • Members of the London Zoological Society
  • Members of the South London Botanical Institute (SLBI)
  • Members of the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)
  • National Health Service (NHS) employees
  • Natural History Museum staff
  • Residents of postcodes SW3, SW5, SW7, SW10 and W8
  • Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council staff
  • Royal Geographical Society staff
  • Science Museum staff
  • Staff of Exhibition Road Cultural Group (Discover South Kensington) organisations
  • Students (non-Imperial College)
  • Teachers and other staff of UK schools
  • The American Institute for Foreign Study
  • Tutors and other staff of institution members of the Association of Colleges
  • Tutors and other staff of other universities and higher education institutions
  • Victoria and Albert Museum staff

Late enrolment

It is possible to enrol on many of our adult education courses after the course has already started. For non-language courses this is subject entirely to agreement by the tutor. For language courses it is subject to agreement by the language coordinator conducting level assessment. If you want to join a course late do bear in mind there might be work you will need to catch up on, particularly in language courses.

Friends and Family Scheme

This course is eligible for allowing Imperial College students and staff to share their discount with their friends and family.

Term Dates 2024-25
Weeks Autumn term Spring term Summer term
 10 n/a Friday 17 January until Friday 28 March 2025* n/a
*This is a 1-term course
Enrolment Process

Enrolment via the booking link is open

Enrolment and payment run through the Imperial College eStore. When enrolling:

  • Do check on the drop down menu above called "Course Fees and Rate Categories" to see if you are eligible for a discounted rate and also do make sure you select that rate when enrolling on the eStore
  • If you are a first-time eStore user you will need to create an account before enrolling. You can do this by entering an email address and password. This account can then be used for any future enrolments via the eStore.

When you have enrolled you will be sent the following email notifications:

What is sent When is it sent What does it contain
1. Payment confirmation Is sent straight away following submission of your online application
  • This is a receipt for your payment and includes payment date, order number and course title
  • Confirmation of your place on your chosen course will follow later as long as the course recruits enough students to run. If not you will receive a refund of your payment.
2. Enrolment confirmation Is usually sent within 10 working days. Please treat your payment confirmation as confirmation that your applicant details and payment have been received
  • Confirms your course choice
  • Shows your course's term dates
  • Confirms the day and time of your course
3. Programme information Is usually sent on Friday late afternoon the week before term starts
  • Contains joining instructions for your course, either online or in the classroom, depending on the course
 
  • If you need further help with the above information please ring 020 7594 8756 / +44 20 7594 8756.
  • All enrolments are provisional until the course is confirmed to run. This will be dependent on the course reaching the minimum number of enrolments.
  • All enrolments are subject to our Terms and Conditions. It is not possible to join one of our courses without agreeing to be bound by our Terms and Conditions.
Any Questions?

If you have any questions about the academic content or teaching of this course please contact the Course Tutor, Dr Michael Paraskosm.paraskos@imperial.ac.uk

If you have any questions about your enrolment or payment processes please contact the Programme Administrator, Mr Christian Jacobi, eveningclass@imperial.ac.uk

Contact us

Imperial after:hours Adult Education
Centre for Languages, Culture and Communication
Level 3 - Sherfield Building
Imperial College London
London SW7 2AZ
eveningclass@imperial.ac.uk
Tel. +44 20 7594 8756