The Department of Art History offers a wide range of courses that provide students with a broad basis in the core methods and subjects of the discipline, while allowing for focused specialization by majors in an area of particular interest.  Students are encouraged to start with the ARHI 51A,B,C series, but may enroll in most of the upper-division courses at any time with permission of the instructor.

Specialties of art history faculty include the architecture and city planning of Renaissance Italy; early twentieth-century European architecture; the art of artists of African descent in the Americas; the history of cities and gardens; the history of photography; abstract art of the twentieth century; the social history of North American art; and the work of contemporary Native American artists.

The Department of Art History sponsors a wide array of events throughout the academic year.  We also have a Facebook Page where you can easily access information on such events.

The Pomona College Museum of Art, the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery (Scripps), and the Clark Humanities Museum (Scripps) contain extensive holdings in American, Native American and Asian art, providing art history students with the opportunity to conduct research on original objects and to assist in the creation of exhibitions for the college and surrounding communities. In addition to preparing the art history major for graduate studies in this field, art history courses provide an excellent background for students seeking careers in a wide range of fields, including teaching, publishing, art conservation, library or museum work, law, business, and public policy.