Welcome and Introduction

History of Art was founded as a unit of the History Department in October 2001 when the BA programme in the new subject area was inaugurated. Since its inception, History of Art has established itself as a popular subject with an active role in the academic community.  The HDip, MPhil, and PhD programmes were launched in 2004, followed by the taught MA in Modern and Contemporary Art in 2006, and the interdisciplinary MA in Aesthetics and the History of Art in 2007. Building on this momentum, the unit has organised a series of exciting events—conferences, public lectures, exhibitions—to promote visual culture in Cork and to strengthen links with scholars and institutions in other parts of Ireland and beyond. History of Art, furthermore, has sponsored two innovative book series published by Routledge: The Art Seminar and Theories of Modernism and Postmodernism in the Visual Arts. UCC is an ideal place to study the history, theory, and philosophy of art with the award-winning facilities of the Lewis Glucksman Gallery on campus as well as the vibrant artistic community of the city of Cork, including the Crawford Art Gallery, the Triskel Arts Centre, and the National Sculpture Factory.