Ranked 1st in the UK for world-leading research, according to the latest Research Assessment Exercise, the School of Art History and World Art Studies is one of the most important and highly-rated History of Art departments in the UK.
Academics in the School produced the highest percentage of world-class research publications of any UK History of Art department in the most recent Research Assessment Exercise.

The School is a member of the Sainsbury Institute for Art which is dedicated to the study and appreciation of art across time and cultures and comprises the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, the Sainsbury Research Unit for the Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas, the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures, and the School of Art History and World Art Studies. Together they provide a unique and dynamic combination of disciplinary perspectives, expertise and activities that are at the forefront of research, innovative approaches to education, and public engagement.

There is a weekly World Art Research Seminar, and regular conferences addressed by speakers from around the globe. Graduate students in the School also organise an annual 1-day symposium in the spring semester.