Art Historian
Comedian
Presenter
About
Verity's work focuses on making art history more accessible and bringing laughter into cultural spaces.
She is the author of ‘The History of Art in One Sentence’ which was published by Bloomsbury in 2025.
"Heaps of fun, and endlessly fascinating - a must read for any history of art enthusiast. Utterly brilliant." Alice Loxton
Verity is the founder of Art Laughs live art-themed comedy events which frequently perform at the National Gallery. She regularly performs with Giddy Aunt Improv and has appeared with Criminal Improv and the Oxford Imps.
"Mention must go to Verity Babbs for her consistently competent compering, and a few of the best gags of the day" Broadway Baby
She graduated with a History of Art Degree from the University of Oxford and was named one of BBC HistoryExtra's '30 Under 30' in 2024.
She is represented by Daisy Chandley at Peters, Fraser & Dunlop (Literary).
Visit the Art Laughs page for upcoming live show dates.
The History of Art in One Sentence
Want to know the difference between Art Nouveau and Art Deco? Why the Impressionists made everything so blurry? How the CIA put Abstract Expressionism on the map?
Art historian and comedian Verity Babbs is here to guide you through 50 key art movements from the past 500 years, one sentence at a time.
Answering 10 questions for each movement, this fact-filled pocket guide covers everything from Symbolist screams to Surrealist schisms, Renaissance rhinos to Pop Art ponies, Rococo romps to Cubist... cubes.
Let this fun and fascinating book be your companion through galleries and museums, with plenty of laughs along the way.
Verity Babbs has done the impossible - taken a very high-brow, highly edu-mac-ated topic and stripped it back into bite-size pieces that make absolute sense. Nothing daunting about this book - get stuck in!
Roo Irvine, Presenter & Antiques Expert
Done with a delicious light humour that makes the whole book sing... this is a book of some brilliance and highly recommended.
Marcus Berkmann, The Spectator
Out now!
Written Highlights
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![A laptop screen displaying an online article about Verity Babbs sitting for artist Wilfrid Wood, with a photo of Verity Babbs on the page.]()
Plaster Magazine
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![Screenshot of The Guardian news website on a laptop screen showing an article titled "A moment that changed me: I was a gobby teen who lived to win. Then I lost a contest - and found the real me" with a photo of a girl with light hair.]()
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![Computer screen displaying a website about humor in contemporary art, showing a gallery of black and white artworks including illustrations and text.]()
Spaghetti Boost
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![People protesting with orange banners that say "Just Stop Oil" on a street with a double-decker bus and trees in the background.]()
Stir World
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![A laptop screen displaying a webpage titled 'Is the art world ready for virtual reality?' with two black-and-white pictures of people wearing or associated with virtual reality headsets.]()
DarkLight
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![Laptop screen displaying an article titled 'How Is Artificial Intelligence Changing Art History?' on the website Hyperallergic.]()
Hyperallergic
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![Screenshot of an article titled "Exploring the Hop/Vine Divide — Depictions of Beer and Wine in Northern and Southern European Art" on a webpage, with a brief introductory paragraph and author credits.]()
Good Beer Hunting
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![Laptop displaying a webpage titled 'Verity Babbs' featuring images of three upcoming UK art exhibitions with dates in January, December, and November, and labels such as 'To Do' and 'Discussion'.]()
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![Screenshot of an art-related website homepage featuring artist Verity Babbs with articles about museum moves and art auctions.]()
Artnet News
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![Screenshot of a laptop displaying a webpage for Voice FM radio station. The page features a review of the musical ELF at Mayflower Theatre and includes navigation links, a donation button, and recent broadcast information.]()
Voice FM
Showreel
Verity has worked as a presenter for Tate, the British Museum, and the London Art Fair. She has appeared as an arts expert on BBC 2’s ‘Lowry: The Unheard Tapes’, BBC News, and BBC Radio 4’s ‘The Naked Week’ and ‘Front Row’.
She has hosted live events, lectures, panel discussions and auctions for The Auction Collective, London Art Fair, the Feminist Lecture Program, Pallant House Gallery, and Acrylicize.
Her online art historical content has racked up hundreds of thousands of views, and has been shared by BBC Upload and BBC 2. Her recent series of videos, diving into the historical background of collectables she finds “amongst the tat” in UK charity shops allow her to explore her passion for antiques and design.
She was the host of Voice FM's weekly Arts & Culture Show between 2022 and 2025.