The Best Art Schools in London

A high-quality education in art can do more than prepare you for a career in the art field. It can introduce a new perspective, generate new ideas and lead to a lucrative career in a wide range of related industries.

Art schools in London are some of the world’s most renowned. An education in one of these stellar institutions can propel your career in art.

Art Education Requirements

While it may be considered a broad category, art majors need an excellent foundation to excel in the field or industry of their choice.

A well-rounded art curriculum includes:

English
Science
Art history
Studio art courses
Computer graphics or display courses
Art employment possibilities

When it comes to the industry of art, there are four main categories where a student with an art degree can find gainful employment. These include:

Craft artists
Art directors
Fine arts
Multimedia artists

Within these sub-groups of art, there are many avenues an art graduate can take. From management to gallery owner and art educator, there are many lucrative and rewarding positions that an art student can explore and excel in.

Art Schools in London: Royal College of Art

Located in Kensington, the Royal College of Art is one of the best art universities in London. It has a reputation as the most influential postgraduate art and design schools in the world. It is a leader in the postgraduate art field as well as design study and research.

Alumni tend to band together in support on campus and well after graduation, creating a strong bond and professional network for students. Graduates have gone on to become famous, world-renowned artists as well as award-winning designers of home appliances and furniture or fashion. The college has a project-based education system and specializes in teaching and research.

Central Saint Martins School of Art and Design

Located in Kings Cross, Central Saint Martins is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London. It emerged as a direct reaction to the enormous arts and crafts movement. The school’s original principal, architect William Richard Lethaby, created this educational approach in order to remove barriers between the intellectualism of design and the real-world skills of art production.

Alumni from this school include Christopher Kane, Jenny Packham, Matthew Williamson and Bruce Oldfield.

The college has full-time courses at undergraduate and postgraduate levels as well as foundation levels. Short and summer courses are available to students on a fast track or who need to catch up.

The list of courses available cover a wide array of subjects. Short courses include:

Fashion Design
Fashion Business
Fashion Making and Pattern Cutting
Communication and Graphic Design
Curation and Culture
Creative Computing

Slade School of Fine Art

The University College of London Slade School of Fine Art is consistently ranked as the top art and design school in the United Kingdom and one of the best art schools in the world. It gets its name from lawyer and philanthropist Felix Slade who offered funds to begin Fine Art Chairs, one each at the University College London and Oxford and Cambridge Universities.

Since its inception in 1868, the school has had a long roster of acclaimed professors, including:

Henry Tonks
Phyllida Barlow
John Hilliard
Bruce McLean
Lucian Freud
Edward Allington

The school is known for its modern approach to art education. In 1995, the Slade Centre for Electronic Media Arts opened to further opportunities to explore electronic media and its role in art.

The education approach at Slade School of Fine Art is centered around history and theories that inform contemporary art in an experimental and research-oriented way.