Alex Lindsay

History of Art, 2015

“The tutors of the History of Art course are absolutely central to its success. All of the tutors are incredibly supportive and encouraging – that’s what makes the course so enjoyable”

Having never studied History of Art before coming to Brookes, Alex Linsday was attracted to the comprehensiveness of the course at Brookes which allowed her to study a vast range of art movements and periods.

Before I started at Brookes I took a gap year as I wasn’t sure where I wanted to focus my study after school. Once I realized History of Art was my preferred discipline I began my pursuit in finding an undergraduate course.

I decided on the History of Art course at Brookes because, for a student like me who had never studied History of Art before, the course at Oxford Brookes seemed to offer a broad basis of understanding across vast periods and movements in art history. The course here combines art, art theory and architecture, and also gives you the opportunity for focused study in an area of your own interest. I think it is a real strength at this stage of a student’s career to be able to engage with everything and anything that is thrown at them. I cannot stress enough the advantage of having covered so many areas of art history and its methods. This means that no option will be off limits to me post-university.

The tutors of the History of Art course are absolutely central to its success. All of the tutors are incredibly supportive and encouraging – that’s what makes the course so enjoyable. Their individual specialist interests are reflected in the engaging lectures and unrivalled teaching. Seminars are intimate, allowing us to gain a clearer understanding of the topic at hand and the opportunity to really interact with the tutors and cohort closely.

Assignments are always interesting, challenging and rewarding on completion; they consistently offer us the chance to excel. The course also works on a lecture to seminar basis which is incredibly helpful in encouraging students to pursue specific subjects further and there is always an opportunity for further study.

Home for me is London, so the close proximity of the city was definitely an advantage. Transport links from Oxford are fantastic. I enjoy Oxford because it is big enough to be able to explore its wealth of culture both recreationally and historically, whilst not being totally overwhelmed in a new city.

Having access to Oxford’s Bodleian Library is a real help in the final year. For History of Art students especially the Bodleian’s Sackler Library, a major research center for Art History, offers more resources than you could ever begin to imagine.

As part of my course I went abroad to Paris for a year. This year abroad has really contributed to my enjoyment at Brookes. I spent two months interning at Sotheby’s and six months at Christie’s. The opportunity to partake in a year abroad was so rewarding and the work experience I gained was invaluable. After gradation I hope to pursue a career in the art world as a specialist at an auction house.