Get a behind-the-scenes look at New York’s illustrious art world and discover how art is created, bought, and sold in a dynamic global market.
This course will provide an insider’s look at New York’s vibrant contemporary art market through galleries, auction houses, and studio visits. Students will gain an understanding of both primary and secondary art markets in New York and London, and also be introduced to other globally important art markets in China, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa. The course will delve into the recent evolution of blockchain, NFTs, and digital art commerce and examine how art institutions have adapted their business strategies for an increasingly virtual world. The class will also explore the potential for a myriad of business innovations in an ever-changing art industry.
Students will go on site visits to the various businesses that deal in contemporary art and engage with prominent artists, gallerists, and auction house specialists. The series of lectures and tours throughout the city and its immediate surroundings will identify the key personalities and most influential venues that contribute to the rich, varied dialogue around contemporary art and its trade. This class will also address the relationships between the marketplace and the not-for-profit sector with a focus on museums — a notable facet of New York’s cultural landscape.
Site Visits
Visits will include a combination of trips to both commercial and non-profit art venues, such as museums and artists’ studios, as well as other places of business related to art production and sales.
In the past, site visits have included:
- Sotheby’s auction house
- The Museum of Modern Art
- Corporate art collections
- Top galleries such as David Zwirner, Hauser & Wirth, and Pace Gallery
- Chelsea and the Lower East Side neighborhoods, epicenters of art dealing
- Artists’ studios and collectors’ homes
- Public Art Fund art installations
Guest Speakers
Students will hear firsthand about the inner workings of the art industry from speakers that will include artists, gallerists, art fair directors, and online art sales entrepreneurs.
In the past, guest speakers have included:
- Auction house experts and famous auctioneers
- Gallery Directors from some of the best galleries in the business, including Gagosian and Lisson Gallery
- A gallery tour with an important art advisor
- Marketing and communications specialists for galleries and museums
- Collectors opening their homes for a private visit
- Artists working in new media
Please note: This information is subject to change at any time at the discretion of Sotheby’s Institute of Art
