The University of St Andrews teams up with the R&A in a unique collaboration

The R&A World Golf Museum will, for the first time, explore the world of sport and its portrayal through art with the UK’s leading School of Art History at the University of St Andrews. 

As sports fans continue to enjoy the drama from the Winter Olympics and look forward to a bumper year of sports, including  The Open, Masters, the Solheim cup, Tour de France, the men and women’s Six Nations rugby and many more fixtures, a new online lecture series will trace how athletic pursuits have been represented, idealised, and critiqued through visual culture across the centuries.  

From Ancient Greece to the modern day, artists have tried to capture the thrill, beauty, and cultural significance of sporting pursuits. 

This new series features guided lectures by scholars and professionals from the School of Art History at the University of St Andrews, R&A World Golf Museum, and invited guest speakers. Examining how visual representations of sport intersect with themes such as identity, nationalism, gender, and spectacle, using a wide range of artworks and artefacts. 

Dr Billy Rough Lecturer in the School of Art History, said: “It has been a wonderful opportunity to work with the R&A World Golf Museum to create this one-off lecture series and to explore the worlds of sport and art from different angles. Ultimately, sport and art are both about expression – one through the body, the other through creativity, but they meet in the same place: human passion.” 

Hannah Fleming, Learning & Access Curator at the R&A World Golf Museum, said “We are excited to be collaborating with the School of Art History on this unique project which celebrates the heritage of sporting art.  Showcasing our golf collections will give attendees an understanding into the close connection the sport has with the university and the town as well as reflecting societal and stylistic changes displayed within golf course landscapes, portraits, and decorative art.”   

Athletics and Aesthetics/Sport in Art History starts on Wednesday 4th March 2026 – Wednesday 8th April 2026. 2-3pm Lecture (UK time), 3-3:30pm audience Q&A (UK time) For more information and to book your place: https://onlineshop.st-andrews.ac.uk/conferences-and-events/events/art-history/online-lecture-series-athletics-aesthetics-sport-in-art-history