Lars Tharp

Lars Tharp has been a regular on the BBC since 1986. He’s been a regular on the Antiques Roadshow for over 30 years, and subsequently on dozens of TV and Radio series including Inside Antiques (BBC2), Hidden Treasures (Radio 4), Art of the Baroque (Radio 2). In 2011 and 2013 Lars filmed two documentaries on the China Trade shown on the BBC and throughout the world.

Lars was born in Copenhagen and educated in England. Inspired from an early age by his Danish grandfather (a classicist and archaeologist), he read prehistoric archaeology at Cambridge University. The Master of his college (Gonville & Caius) was the legendary Joseph Needham, father of the still ongoing History of Chinese Science and Civilization fifteen-volume classic. In 1977 Lars joined auctioneers Sothebys as a junior cataloguer under the wing of late Julian Thompson. Specializing in Ceramics -and particularly in Chinese ceramics and Works of Art- He became a director and auctioneer with the London auction house, representing it throughout many of its European offices, from Spain to Scandinavia. After an extraordinary 16-year education in the art market, Lars left Sothebys in 1993 to set up my own company, Lars Tharp Ltd.

Lars lectures across the world on the many aspects of Man and Clay. He lectures to educational institutions (universities, schools, and colleges) to other learned and heritage societies (e.g. NADFAS, National Trust, The Royal Institution, Harveyan Society, Oriental Ceramic Society) to the Friends of Museums and Galleries (e.g. the V&A, Ashmolean), to Festivals, Conferences, Social, Corporate and Business gatherings as well as bespoke private functions. From keynote to motivational and after-dinner speeches, Lars likes to entertain as well as inform. MyAntiqueSchool is Lars’s first foray into bringing ceramics to a digital audience across the world.

Lars has been part of the auction world since 1977 and he now consults on buying, selling or care of Art; not just of Ceramics but also -through an extensive network of expertise – of other artworks and larger collections. He was intimately involved in the sale of one of the world’s most expensive vases – you can ask him about it in the classroom.

From time to time he has also been involved in more light-hearted programmes including Call My Bluff and University Challenge (2013 Christmas Edition).
As curator and museum director Lars has created and presided over several exhibitions: Hogarth’s China (1997 and 1999); Celebrating Ceramics (2005-2006) (three concurrent exhibitions for York Museums and Art Gallery; Wakefield; and Scarborough); Threads of Feeling (Foundling Museum, with guest curator John Styles) and Tracey Emin, Paula Rego and Matt Collishaw (with guest curator Jill Hedley)

As author and author-editor Lars has several books to his name, notably Hogarth’s China (1997); the Little Brown Encyclopaedia of Antiques (with Paul Atterbury); Treasures in your Home (Reader’s Digest, with editor David Battie); and two books for the BBC under the Roadshow banner, one on Fakes, the other on 20th Century Antiques. Lars also contributes occasional pieces to newspapers and magazines and has had a regular column on The Scandinavian magazine.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the difference between PEER and EXPERT options?

At Peer and Expert level, you get access to the same core content and features:

  • Video lesson tutorials led by your expert tutor
  • Downloadable lesson notes
  • Option to practise what you learn with lesson assignments
  • Group learning within an online interactive classroom of up to 20 classmates
  • Lifetime access to videos, notes and classroom

If you choose Expert level, you get all of the above plus the following:

  • Personalised assignment feedback and coaching from your expert tutor
  • Opportunity to interact with your expert tutor through a private messaging system
  • Certificate of completion.
What is an online classroom?

Our online classroom has been developed to allow you to learn from our experts in a sociable environment alongside up to 20 other students. After each video tutorial led by your expert, you will be encouraged to practice what you have learned with optional assignments - these can be seen by the other students in your class, who are free to share their own thoughts and questions with you.

You will be encouraged to take part in an ongoing class discussion where you can discuss ideas, post images or work, and comment on each other’s assignments. It’s a great way to learn from other like-minded people who share your passion from all over the world.

This means not only do you benefit from people who are outstanding in their field, but also from a close-knit group of like-minded people whom you can learn alongside. Group learning has shown to greatly improve not just the experience of studying, but also how well you retain the knowledge, and we have built our classroom experience around this fact.

When can I start my course and how long will it take?

You can start your course any time within 12 months after receipt of your purchase confirmation email. Once you start, you’ll have lifetime access — meaning you can revisit the lesson videos and notes whenever you want.

Our courses are designed so that you can study at your own pace, some prefer to binge learn while others like to spread their studying over a longer period of time - it’s completely up to you. To give you a rough time frame, each lesson video is approximately 30-40 minutes long, and we recommend that you spend around an hour on each assignment.

How often can I speak with the Expert?

If you opt for the Expert version of your course, the time you have to interact with your tutor is limited to course length. You will have one week per lesson to chat to your tutor and to have your assignments marked, and during this period you can ask them as many questions as you would like.

To find out the length of each course, head to the product page and look at the Course outline to see how many lessons it contains. e.g. a four lesson course assumes that you will have completed the assignments within four weeks.

Your tutor interaction period will start as soon as you enter the classroom. If you find that you are struggling to complete the assignments in the allocated time or you wish to put this function on hold, just get in contact with one of the team via the support button and we will help you out.

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Awards & accreditiations