Madrid: Art in the Service of the Court
This course and city experience form part of The Story of Art and the Cities That Helped Write It, an ambitious long-form programme exploring art history through the places where it was created, collected, transformed, and preserved. Through a combination of expert-led online learning and immersive city experiences, the programme places great works of art back into their original cultural context—revealing the people, power, ideas, and institutions that shaped them. Each individual course and city experience can be enjoyed on its own, while also contributing to a wider journey across the cities that defined the story of art.
Find our more about The Story of Art and the Cities that Helped Write It programme here
Overview
The museums and royal palaces of Madrid hold a vital place in the story of art because they preserve the collecting legacy of the Spanish Habsburgs and later the House of Bourbon, two dynasties that used art to express monarchy, empire, faith, and cultural authority. During Spain’s imperial ascendancy, royal patronage brought together extraordinary collections of painting, sculpture, tapestries, armour, decorative arts, and objects gathered through diplomacy, inheritance, and global exchange. These treasures are now encountered in institutions such as the Museo del Prado, one of the world’s great painting collections, and the Royal Palace of Madrid, where court splendour and dynastic display remain vividly present. In Madrid we can trace how collecting shaped national identity, elevated artists such as Diego Velázquez and Francisco Goya, and transformed royal possessions into public institutions. The city is therefore essential to understanding how art served both empire and monarchy, and how those collections later became part of Europe’s shared cultural inheritance.
Join us for an exciting three week online course and a two-day journey through the heart of Madrid's art and culture. Led by Artist and Art Historian, Aliki Braine, the experience will offer the chance to learn more about the art and artists that have made Madrid the fascinating destination we know it today. The itinerary below gives you an idea of how our carefully curated 2-day art experience will take you on an immersive exploration of Madrid's renowned art institutions, providing an unforgettable experience.
Dates
Online Course: 6, 13, 20 Sept 2028 Wednesdays, 4pm GMT
City Tour: 22 & 23 Sept 2028 Friday & Saturday, 9:30am-5pm
Fee
Online course €380 - 3×1-hour lectures preparing each city (collectors, context, art history framework)
Madrid experience only (2 days) €1950 Lecturer-led immersive museum + collection-focused city experience
Online + Madrid experience (combined package) €2,320 Full pre-study + guided on-site immersion for one city
Here’s what to expect on the madrid tour.
Lecturer’s Biography
Aliki Braine
Aliki Braine (b. 1976, Paris) is an artist and art historian. She studied at The Ruskin School of Fine Art, Oxford, The Slade School and The Courtauld Institute, London where she was awarded a distinction for her theses on 17th century painting. She has been working for The National Gallery for 25 years and teaches for Christie’s Education, The Wallace Collection, The Arts Society and numerous private clients. Aliki is also a practicing artist who taught at Camberwell College of Art and Westminster University and who regularly exhibits her work internationally.
