Course description
A discounted tuition rate is available for individuals who are interested to enroll in two or more Sotheby’s Institute of Art In-Person Professional Courses within the same term. Contact our admissions team at professional@sia.edu for more information and a discount code.
This intensive 12-week semester course takes place 2 days each week and is designed to demystify the art industry by introducing course participants to its key players, its infrastructure, and its vast cultural and economic history.
Course participants will examine established art markets in the developed world and emerging art markets in the developing world, together with legal and management issues related to global art business practice, with a particular emphasis on the international auction house system. Designed to encourage the kind of entrepreneurial thinking on which the art world thrives, the course culminates in a final project in which students develop a new art business and pitch it to investors.
The course prepares students for a wide range of careers in the art world, both commercial and not-for-profit sectors, or for further study on one of our postgraduate programs. Practical skills gained include connected to accessing and analysing art market data, and to evaluating market value for art works across key sectors. Students are introduced to contemporary management models for commercial and non-commercial practices through theory, case studies and practical work. Branding and marketing issues are explored, and essential art market professional roles (e.g., art advisor, curator, gallerist, collector, journalist, art fund manager, etc.) are investigated, together with innovative new art business models, including online initiatives. Through lectures, seminars and visits, students witness first-hand what it takes to make a business successful in today’s art market.
Orientation: 9am GMT, January 22
Upcoming start dates
Suitability - Who should attend?
Course participants take away in-depth and valuable insight into the current and future art world, to be sufficiently prepared for a wide-ranging career within the art industry. Those who successfully complete their course will receive a certificate of completion from Sotheby’s Institute of Art.
Sotheby’s Institute of Art course participants come from all over the world, from a wide variety of backgrounds. As they study, travel, and explore the art world alongside each other throughout the program, fierce and long-lasting collaborations are frequently born. Individuals who complete these courses join our network of over 8,000 alumni around the globe who hold top positions at renowned art organizations.
Training Course Content
Week 1: Gain a basic understanding of the current art market and learn about the auction process.
Week 2: Explore the tools used to analyze the art market, such as varying research methods. Examine the state of the art market through auctions.
Week 3: Discover the Chinese art market and learn about what goes into producing and curating an exhibition, as well as museums and commercial enterprises. Visit a contemporary gallery, such as Gallery Rosenfeld, and get a tour of the current exhibitions.
Week 4: Learn how art law impacts business, from intellectual property laws to selling art online, via a working lawyer.
Week 5: Discover art fairs and the market for photography and visit Sotheby’s Auction House for a preview of upcoming sales.
Week 6: Explore the financial side of art business through case studies and take a day trip to Margate to explore the burgeoning gallery scene.
Week 7: Understand entrepreneurship and what it takes to run a commercial gallery. Speak with a gallery director about their experience starting and running their own gallery.
Week 8: Examine various marketing strategies and approaches to PR.
Week 9: Explore sustainability, buying and selling at auction, and patronage and artists in relation to the art market.
Week 10: Focus on the role of the art advisor and learn about collecting in the 21st century. Hear from experts in art advising and collecting.
Week 11: Engage with new technologies and performance art as they relate to the art market.
Week 12: Teach fellow students about what you learned through final presentations.
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Sotheby's Institute of Art
Sotheby’s auction house was founded in 1744 when Samuel Baker, an entrepreneur, occasional publisher, and successful businessman held his first auction. Today at Sotheby’s Institute, we emphasize a keen understanding of an object’s value and history, a spirit of inquiry...