Earn a Smithsonian World Art History Certificate in 2022

Deepen your knowledge of art through programs that span centuries and cultures

January 4, 2022

Image of five works of art, including a painting with a girl in a red hat, the Taj Mahal, Starry Night, a statue of a calf-bearer, and an equestrian statue. — Left column, clockwise: Girl with the Red Hat, circa 1665-1667, by Johannes Vermeer; Taj Mahal, completed 1643, Agra, India; Starry Night, ca. 1889, by Vincent Van Gogh; The Calf-Bearer, ca. 570 B.C.; Athens, Greece; Equestrian ceramic figure; ca. 13th–15th centuries; Mali.

Is this a year in which you’d like to deepen your knowledge and appreciation of art? Becoming part of Smithsonian Associates’ certificate program in World Art History is the perfect—and most enjoyable—way to move you toward that goal. Under the guidance of expert teachers presenting on Zoom year-round, examine the major creators, movements, masterworks and historical periods that shaped art across civilizations and centuries.

In a flexible, personalized approach, you choose the courses, seminars, study tours and studio art classes that speak to your own interests and complete the program requirements at your own pace. There are many rich and varied opportunities designed for art lovers throughout the winter and early spring: Among the credit-carrying Smithsonian Associates Streaming offerings are Picasso and Matisse in depth at the Barnes Foundation; Albert Bierstadt’s American West; Medieval Manuscript Illumination; A Day with the Pre-Raphaelites; Surrealism: Hands-on Photography History; Jean-Michel Basquiat: Finding a Place in Art History; A Day at the Baltimore Museum of Art; and a series of “Art-full Friday” excursions into the glories of Italian art and architecture led by an art historian live from Tuscany. All programs except for study tours are presented on Zoom, and new topics are added regularly.