GCSE and A Level Art and Design - Contextual References - Version 1.1 - Aug 2024

Oct 20, 2026

Uploaded by kopisore

GCSE and A Level Art and Design: Contextual References provides supporting references for teachers and students working on Component 1 Personal Portfolio (GCSE) and Personal Investigation (A level), and on Component 2 Externally Set Assignment. References are organised into general sources and by specialism titles to help target suitable practice and research. The guidance explains how students can use broad visual stimuli, including museum collections, and notes that web addresses are correct at publication but may require updates.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Contents

General

Fine Art

Graphic Communication

Three-Dimensional Design

Textile Design

Photography

GCSE and A Level Art and Design: Contextual References Introduction These contextual references are provided to support teachers and students when working on either Component 1 Personal Portfolio (GCSE) and Personal Investigation (A level) , or Component 2 Externally Set Assignment. The contextual references have been organised into general references and by title to help teachers and students target specialisms. However, this is not meant to discourage students from being stimulated by a wide range of visual stimuli regardless of their chosen title. For example, a photography student might benefit hugely from looking at and understanding the way painters or sculptors have made their art. Students should always be encouraged to research a wide range of references to help move their work forward. Please note that many of the primary references in the Fine Art section such as the Victoria and Albert Museum and the British Museum hold collections that cover all the titles. For the sake of clarity, they have not been repeated under the separate title sections. For example, the Victoria and Albert Museum holds a wealth of textiles. It is important to note that Component 2, the Externally Set Assignment, will no longer include lists of additional references so teachers and students should use those provided here as appropriate when responding to the theme. Please note that the web addresses in this document are correct at the time of publishing. However, some web addresses may change, cease to exist or inadvertently link to sites with content that could be considered inappropriate. While we regret any inconvenience this may cause, we cannot accept responsibility for any such changes. Please report problems with any of these web addresses via the support portal and we will make every effort to find replacement web addresses. GCSE and A level Art and Design: Contextual References, Author and Approver-Product/GQA, Version 1.1, Aug 2024 Contents General 3 Fine Art 6 Graphic Communication 9 Three-Dimensional Design 11 Textile Design 13 Photography 15 2 General | [http://www.britishmuseum.org](http://www.britishmuseum.org) | The British Museum houses a vast collection of world art and artefacts. | | --- | --- | | [http://www.tate.org.uk](http://www.tate.org.uk) | The Tate holds the national collection of British art from 1500 to the present day as well as international modern and contemporary art. | | [http://www.npg.org.uk](http://www.npg.org.uk) | The National Portrait Gallery showcases the world’s most extensive collection of portraits. | | [http://www.vam.ac.uk](http://www.vam.ac.uk) | The Victoria and Albert Museum in London promotes the practice of design, and knowledge, understanding and enjoyment of the designed world. | | [https://www.saatchiart.com/](https://www.saatchiart.com/) | The Saatchi Gallery is an innovative forum for contemporary art, presenting work by largely unseen young artists or international artists whose work has rarely or never been exhibited in the UK. | | [http://www.guggenheim.org](http://www.guggenheim.org) | The Guggenheim Museum showcases a collection of early modern masterpieces. | | [https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en](https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en) | 800 years of Dutch Art. | | [https://www.museodelprado.es/](https://www.museodelprado.es/) | Spanish artists and varied collections. | | [https://cycladic.gr/en](https://cycladic.gr/en) | Archaic Greek art collections. | | [https://tmora.org/](https://tmora.org/) | The Museum of Russian Art is an independent American organisation, incorporating Russian artists and collections. | | [https://www.mnba.gob.cl/](https://www.mnba.gob.cl/) | South American art and artists. | | [https://asia.si.edu/](https://asia.si.edu/) | Asian art artefacts and art collections. | | [https://mia.org.qa/en/](https://mia.org.qa/en/) | Islamic art and collections. | | [https://nga.gov.au/](https://nga.gov.au/) | Australian art and collectio

FAQs

What is the purpose of these contextual references?

They support teachers and students when working on Component 1 Personal Portfolio (GCSE), Component 1 Personal Investigation (A level), or Component 2 Externally Set Assignment.

How are the references organised for different specialisms?

They are organised into general references and then grouped by title to help teachers and students target specialisms.

Do the web addresses remain reliable after publication?

They are correct at the time of publishing, but some may change, cease to exist, or link to inappropriate content; problems should be reported via the support portal for replacement links.

Oct 20, 2026

Uploaded by kopisore