Master of Arts in Art History

Master of Arts in Art History and Visual Studies

Exploring the civilizational energies of India through its visual and performative cultures, this course purports to committedly address the different flows of history that have determined the growth of art forms and genres.

Drawing from different disciplines such as literature and anthropology, sociology and semiotics, and interdisciplinary fields such as gender studies and cultural studies, the Course will try to holistically understand different periods of art history, and crucially try and tease out cultural strains that connect regional contexts with global.

The Course will develop a body of knowledge that is intersectional, and try and assess the journeys of art practices across classical, modern and contemporary planes. It will also pursue ‘popular’ and ‘folk’ and ‘high’ art modes and explore methodologies that do justice to their respective complexities.

The Course will have a strong research component, will include archival and curatorial training, and encourage students to uncover visible and invisible linkages between practices of signification and the transforming world.

Key Information

Duration

2 Years

Programme Code

ST4002

Mode of study

Full time

Campus

Vidyavihar - Mumbai

Institute

Dr. Shantilal K Somaiya School of Art

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What is special about the Course?

Admission Open - 2025

Career Opportunities

What is special about the Course?

From Language to Knowledge

There will be an accent on a translatorial approach to knowledge production. This will involve an engagement with material in Indian languages beyond English, and uncover a rich tapestry of indigenous knowledge in Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati and other rich resources.

Home and the World

Understand geo-social and aesthetic contexts that are African, Asian and Latin American along with European and American. Excavate local and global networks of meaning.

History as a Bouquet

Understanding our regional pasts and traditions; Exploring national contexts and international narratives.

Dynamic Dialogue between Disciplines

Where Literature Studies speaks to History and Semiotics speaks to Translation Studies. Discover new methodologies to forge connections between meaning-worlds.

Art and the Archive

How do different forms of art – popular, folk, classical, modern, contemporary – co-exist and how do we locate them and learn from their varied practices?

Travels in Trans-Continental Terrains

From the Renaissance in Europe to Modernism in Mumbai, and from Pahari miniatures to Parisian ateliers, learn deeply about art and artists, their thoughts and times.

Art and All its Acts

Biennales, Collections, Galleries, Exhibitions, Curations: the how, the why, the when and the what next.

Admission Open -2025

Eligibility Bachelor’s Degree in any field.

Multiple Entry/ Multiple Exit Structure

After 2 Years: Students earn the Master’s Degree
After 1 Year: Students can exit with a Postgraduate Diploma
Re-entry Option: Students who exit after one year can return in a future academic cycle to complete the second year and upgrade their diploma to a degree.

This flexibility allows students to learn at their own pace, without losing credit for the time they've already invested.

Fees: Rs. 1,75,000/- year

Scholarship of upto 75% based on need and eligibility.

For inquiries, contact:

admissions@somaiya.edu

+91 70282 33777

Career Opportunities

You could be:

An Art Historian and be part of art schools, academic institutions, museums, galleries and research organizations.
A Curator and mount shows at museums, galleries, public spaces and cultural institutions.
An Art Appraiser at Auction Houses and Valuing Firms
An Exhibition Director
A Cultural Policy Advisor at Government agencies and consultancy firms
A Gallery manager, a Museum curator
A Curator of Collections