Skip to content
Pratt’s an exceptional place to study art and design history. From our landmarked campus you’ll have access to NYC’s premier international private collections, libraries, museums, studios, and galleries, as well as leading artists, designers, historians, and theorists.
metal sculpture spheres rest in the grass with a tree, a building and a set of goat-like statues in the background
Type
Undergraduate, BFA
Credits
126
Duration
4 years
Courses
Plan of Study
Students and teacher discuss a piece of African figurative sculpture.

History of Art and Design at Pratt

Join us in New York City, the art capital of the United States, for an immersive education in the history of art and design. Specialized foundational, art and design history, and liberal arts courses prepare you to conduct research, critically analyze and describe works of art, and place them in their social context.  Studios and electives in your chosen concentration provide an in-depth program of study and experiential learning opportunities to practice traditional and new visual arts techniques.

The Experience

Students sketch from sculptures in the ancient Greek and Roman wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Taking specially designed foundation and survey courses, students in the BFA program will engage with a range of liberal arts disciplines including philosophy, literature, and criticism of the history of art and design, as well as studio courses. You’ll collaborate closely with your team, faculty, and community partners to learn the skills needed to create strategies and systems that meet real-world challenges.

Electives and Seminars

You’ll have the opportunity to take electives in film and design, architecture, non-Western, pre-Renaissance, Renaissance to Rococo, and 19th-, 20th-, or 21st-century art, theory and methodology, and chemistry of art. Major-specific seminars are available from your first through senior years, on topics that include the role of New York as a cultural capital, critical and theoretical models, and art and social justice.

Study Abroad

Bernini's fountain in the Piazza Navona, Rome, Italy.

Immersing yourself in another culture is an incredible experience that can extend the boundaries of creativity. Study abroad programs are an integral part of the college experience, and Pratt has deep connections with university partners around the world. Study in Paris with the Pratt in Paris summer program. We also recently celebrated the 35th anniversary of Pratt in Venice, which is a 6-week program that occurs each June and July. For more information on Study Abroad, visit Pratt’s Study Abroad page.

Learning Resources

We develop disciplinary fluency in our program of study and we celebrate the interdisciplinary nature of design critical to address the plurality and complexity of the environments in which we operate. Learn about resources.

Our Faculty

Pratt’s distinguished faculty of outstanding creative professionals and scholars share a common desire to develop each student’s potential and creativity to the fullest. Bringing different views, methods, and perspectives, they provide a rigorous educational model in which students make and learn. See all History of Art and Design faculty and administrators.

Our Alumni

Pratt’s distinguished alumni are leading diverse and thriving careers, addressing critical challenges and creating innovative work that reimagines our world.

Success Stories

Ready for More?

HERE’S HOW TO APPLYOUR CAMPUS & BEYOND
Join us at Pratt. Learn more about admissions requirements, plan your visit, talk to a counselor, and start your application. Take the next step.You’ll find yourself at home at Pratt. Learn more about our residence halls, student organizations, athletics, gallery exhibitions, events, the amazing City of New York and our Brooklyn neighborhood communities. Check us out.
@hadpratt
History of Art and Design Dep.

@hadpratt

  • Kandinsky’s Composition VIII marks a turning point in modern art. Painted after his time at the Bauhaus, the work reflects his deep interest in geometry, balance, and the spiritual language of abstraction. Circles, lines, triangles, and curves float across the canvas, creating rhythm and harmony without relying on traditional representation.

Rather than depicting objects, Kandinsky sought to evoke emotion through pure form and color. He believed that geometric abstraction could act like music, speaking directly to the soul.

✨ A milestone of abstract art, Composition VIII remains one of Kandinsky’s most celebrated works and a cornerstone of Bauhaus visual language.
  • "Did you know? Egyptian Blue is considered the world’s first synthetic pigment, created over 4,500 years ago in ancient Egypt. Made by heating a mix of sand, copper, and natron, this luminous blue was used to decorate tombs, statues, and ceramics. Its brilliance symbolized the heavens and eternity, making it one of the most treasured colors of the ancient world."
  • 🎉Welcome to a new semester of creativity, growth, and discovery.🎉 We’re excited to see the inspiring work our community will bring to life this year.
  • Fall 2026 applications are officially open for the Department of History of Art and Design at Pratt Institute. Explore, question, and contribute to the future of art and design.
  • Vienna Secession (1897 to 1910): Where Art Broke Free
In turn-of-the-century Vienna, artists like Gustav Klimt and Josef Hoffmann rejected academic tradition and formed the Vienna Secession. Their goal was to unite art, architecture, and design into one expressive vision rooted in modern life.

Key features:
• Geometric ornament combined with natural motifs
• Symbolism and flat, decorative patterns
• The idea of Gesamtkunstwerk, or total work of art

#ViennaSecession #GustavKlimt #ArtNouveau #DesignHistory #SecessionBuilding #KolomanMoser #JosefHoffmann #ModernDesign #ArtAndDesign #HistoryOfDesign
  • 🎨 Art Inspiration of the Week
“The Garden of Earthly Delights” by Hieronymus Bosch, c. 1490 to 1510

Step into a surreal world where paradise, pleasure, and punishment coexist. Bosch’s iconic triptych defies categorization. It is part religious warning, part psychedelic fantasy. The central panel bursts with enigmatic scenes. Nude figures frolic among giant fruit, hybrid creatures, and impossible architecture. This is neither heaven nor hell, but a dreamlike realm suspended between desire and doom.

Prado Museum, Madrid
#ArtHistory #ArtInspiration
  • "Design is intelligence made visible." – Alina Wheeler

This June, we’re celebrating the invisible logic behind beautiful design. From simplicity to sleek digital interfaces, smart design shows up when form and function align.

#DesignQuote #Bauhaus #DesignHistory #AlinaWheeler #IntelligentDesign #HistoryOfDesign #HAD #ArtAndDesign
  • Important Update:
The time for Topics in African Art, HAD 456-01, by  Professor Risham Majeed, changed to Fridays 2:00-4:50. 

Course Description: 
The course will look at the forms, function and contexts in which arts have been created and used in African societies, and how that body of material has been observed, described and collected by people outside the Continent. Materials or bodies of art will be viewed in a geographic pattern that moves across the Continent. Those materials will be selected to illustrate themes and issues that inform the study and understanding go the general body of African arts. The course will reflect a growing shift in the literature and in the professional discourse of the field of non-western and post-colonial studies toward a focus on the performative and holistic interpretation of artistic expression, and the impact of a global post-colonial experience that engenders a world-art perspective.
  • Art Term: Aniconism
The intentional avoidance of figural imagery, often seen in religious art.
Example: The muqarnas ceiling in Alhambra’s Hall of the Abencerrajes uses intricate geometry instead of human forms to reflect divine order.
#ArtTerms #IslamicArt #Muqarnas #Alhambra #ArtHistory
Kandinsky’s Composition VIII marks a turning point in modern art. Painted after his time at the Bauhaus, the work reflects his deep interest in geometry, balance, and the spiritual language of abstraction. Circles, lines, triangles, and curves float across the canvas, creating rhythm and harmony without relying on traditional representation. Rather than depicting objects, Kandinsky sought to evoke emotion through pure form and color. He believed that geometric abstraction could act like music, speaking directly to the soul. ✨ A milestone of abstract art, Composition VIII remains one of Kandinsky’s most celebrated works and a cornerstone of Bauhaus visual language.
1 day ago
View on Instagram |
1/9
"Did you know? Egyptian Blue is considered the world’s first synthetic pigment, created over 4,500 years ago in ancient Egypt. Made by heating a mix of sand, copper, and natron, this luminous blue was used to decorate tombs, statues, and ceramics. Its brilliance symbolized the heavens and eternity, making it one of the most treasured colors of the ancient world."
"Did you know? Egyptian Blue is considered the world’s first synthetic pigment, created over 4,500 years ago in ancient Egypt. Made by heating a mix of sand, copper, and natron, this luminous blue was used to decorate tombs, statues, and ceramics. Its brilliance symbolized the heavens and eternity, making it one of the most treasured colors of the ancient world."
"Did you know? Egyptian Blue is considered the world’s first synthetic pigment, created over 4,500 years ago in ancient Egypt. Made by heating a mix of sand, copper, and natron, this luminous blue was used to decorate tombs, statues, and ceramics. Its brilliance symbolized the heavens and eternity, making it one of the most treasured colors of the ancient world."
"Did you know? Egyptian Blue is considered the world’s first synthetic pigment, created over 4,500 years ago in ancient Egypt. Made by heating a mix of sand, copper, and natron, this luminous blue was used to decorate tombs, statues, and ceramics. Its brilliance symbolized the heavens and eternity, making it one of the most treasured colors of the ancient world."
"Did you know? Egyptian Blue is considered the world’s first synthetic pigment, created over 4,500 years ago in ancient Egypt. Made by heating a mix of sand, copper, and natron, this luminous blue was used to decorate tombs, statues, and ceramics. Its brilliance symbolized the heavens and eternity, making it one of the most treasured colors of the ancient world."
4 days ago
View on Instagram |
2/9
🎉Welcome to a new semester of creativity, growth, and discovery.🎉 We’re excited to see the inspiring work our community will bring to life this year.
🎉Welcome to a new semester of creativity, growth, and discovery.🎉 We’re excited to see the inspiring work our community will bring to life this year.
6 days ago
View on Instagram |
3/9
Fall 2026 applications are officially open for the Department of History of Art and Design at Pratt Institute. Explore, question, and contribute to the future of art and design.
Fall 2026 applications are officially open for the Department of History of Art and Design at Pratt Institute. Explore, question, and contribute to the future of art and design.
1 week ago
View on Instagram |
4/9
Vienna Secession (1897 to 1910): Where Art Broke Free In turn-of-the-century Vienna, artists like Gustav Klimt and Josef Hoffmann rejected academic tradition and formed the Vienna Secession. Their goal was to unite art, architecture, and design into one expressive vision rooted in modern life. Key features: • Geometric ornament combined with natural motifs • Symbolism and flat, decorative patterns • The idea of Gesamtkunstwerk, or total work of art #ViennaSecession #GustavKlimt #ArtNouveau #DesignHistory #SecessionBuilding #KolomanMoser #JosefHoffmann #ModernDesign #ArtAndDesign #HistoryOfDesign
2 months ago
View on Instagram |
5/9
🎨 Art Inspiration of the Week “The Garden of Earthly Delights” by Hieronymus Bosch, c. 1490 to 1510 Step into a surreal world where paradise, pleasure, and punishment coexist. Bosch’s iconic triptych defies categorization. It is part religious warning, part psychedelic fantasy. The central panel bursts with enigmatic scenes. Nude figures frolic among giant fruit, hybrid creatures, and impossible architecture. This is neither heaven nor hell, but a dreamlike realm suspended between desire and doom. Prado Museum, Madrid #ArtHistory #ArtInspiration
2 months ago
View on Instagram |
6/9
"Design is intelligence made visible." – Alina Wheeler

This June, we’re celebrating the invisible logic behind beautiful design. From simplicity to sleek digital interfaces, smart design shows up when form and function align.

#DesignQuote #Bauhaus #DesignHistory #AlinaWheeler #IntelligentDesign #HistoryOfDesign #HAD #ArtAndDesign
"Design is intelligence made visible." – Alina Wheeler This June, we’re celebrating the invisible logic behind beautiful design. From simplicity to sleek digital interfaces, smart design shows up when form and function align. #DesignQuote #Bauhaus #DesignHistory #AlinaWheeler #IntelligentDesign #HistoryOfDesign #HAD #ArtAndDesign
2 months ago
View on Instagram |
7/9
Important Update:
The time for Topics in African Art, HAD 456-01, by  Professor Risham Majeed, changed to Fridays 2:00-4:50. 

Course Description: 
The course will look at the forms, function and contexts in which arts have been created and used in African societies, and how that body of material has been observed, described and collected by people outside the Continent. Materials or bodies of art will be viewed in a geographic pattern that moves across the Continent. Those materials will be selected to illustrate themes and issues that inform the study and understanding go the general body of African arts. The course will reflect a growing shift in the literature and in the professional discourse of the field of non-western and post-colonial studies toward a focus on the performative and holistic interpretation of artistic expression, and the impact of a global post-colonial experience that engenders a world-art perspective.
Important Update: The time for Topics in African Art, HAD 456-01, by Professor Risham Majeed, changed to Fridays 2:00-4:50. Course Description: The course will look at the forms, function and contexts in which arts have been created and used in African societies, and how that body of material has been observed, described and collected by people outside the Continent. Materials or bodies of art will be viewed in a geographic pattern that moves across the Continent. Those materials will be selected to illustrate themes and issues that inform the study and understanding go the general body of African arts. The course will reflect a growing shift in the literature and in the professional discourse of the field of non-western and post-colonial studies toward a focus on the performative and holistic interpretation of artistic expression, and the impact of a global post-colonial experience that engenders a world-art perspective.
3 months ago
View on Instagram |
8/9
Art Term: Aniconism
The intentional avoidance of figural imagery, often seen in religious art.
Example: The muqarnas ceiling in Alhambra’s Hall of the Abencerrajes uses intricate geometry instead of human forms to reflect divine order.
#ArtTerms #IslamicArt #Muqarnas #Alhambra #ArtHistory
Art Term: Aniconism
The intentional avoidance of figural imagery, often seen in religious art.
Example: The muqarnas ceiling in Alhambra’s Hall of the Abencerrajes uses intricate geometry instead of human forms to reflect divine order.
#ArtTerms #IslamicArt #Muqarnas #Alhambra #ArtHistory
Art Term: Aniconism
The intentional avoidance of figural imagery, often seen in religious art.
Example: The muqarnas ceiling in Alhambra’s Hall of the Abencerrajes uses intricate geometry instead of human forms to reflect divine order.
#ArtTerms #IslamicArt #Muqarnas #Alhambra #ArtHistory
Art Term: Aniconism The intentional avoidance of figural imagery, often seen in religious art. Example: The muqarnas ceiling in Alhambra’s Hall of the Abencerrajes uses intricate geometry instead of human forms to reflect divine order. #ArtTerms #IslamicArt #Muqarnas #Alhambra #ArtHistory
3 months ago
View on Instagram |
9/9

From the Catalog