Art Historian Courses
Art Historians research art's historical development, verify artwork authenticity, preserve artifacts, and contribute to cultural understanding.
AI Exposure
High
AI exposure data adapted from Felten, Raj & Seamans (2021). Shortage data sourced from Jobs and Skills Australia (2024).
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How do I become a Art Historian
Get qualified to work as a Art Historian with a course recognised across Australia. Speak to a training provider to learn more.
Estimated fee
From $16,053
The Bachelor of Arts (Honours) (Art History) delves into the visual and material culture from various periods and regions. This course cultivates an understanding of artistic movements, iconography, and aesthetics, alongside the socio-political influences on art. It sharpens critical thinking and visual analysis skills through in-depth study and research. Graduates emerge as connoisseurs equipped to contribute to the academic, curatorial, and cultural sectors, understanding art's historical significan...
Career opportunities
Estimated fee
From $16,053
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Related career opportunities
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Common questions
How much do Art Historians earn?
Art Historians generally earn between $80,000 and $100,000 per annum. You can increase your earning capacity by publishing books, papers, and educational materials based on your research.
What are the job opportunities for Art Historians?
There are currently about 500 historians currently working in Australia, some of these are art historians. They work for universities and academic institutions, libraries, art galleries, art museums, and cultural centres.
Art Historians are sometimes hired as independent consultants to film, documentary, and screen media studios to ensure the historical accuracy of costumes, art and furnishings in their productions. They can also be sourced for interviews and magazine articles by journalists and media companies.
How do I become an Art Historian?
To become a Art Historian you will need a Bachelor of Fine Art or Bachelor of Arts (Art History). Many Art Historians also have post-graduate qualifications in specialist areas like indigenous art, Australian colonial art, classical art, and the development of graffiti and street art.
If you have your heart set on a career as an Art Historian, you will also benefit by honing your written communication skills and learning the Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Powerpoint) with proficiency.
Source: Australian Government Labour Market Insights 2023
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More information
Art Historians research and explore the way art has developed throughout human history. They might focus their interest on a specific medium within a historical period (eg, decor and fashions in the Elizabethan age) or take a broader look at how art movements intersect with lifestyle and culture (eg, how the industrial revolution propelled the Art Nouveau movement in Europe).
As a Art Historian you might be verifying the authenticity of a painting, preserving a piece of tribal art, leading a tour group at an important cultural site, cataloguing art pieces for an art museum, or writing a journal article that unpacks the findings of key research.
It’s a specialist occupation that advances our understanding of the creative process as well as world history.
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