Graduate Art Studies at Sotheby's Institute of Art



For over forty years Sotheby’s Institute of Art has been preparing students for distinguished careers in the international art world, offering a number of Master’s Degree programmes that combine professional training with academic study.

Sotheby’s Institute of Art is composed of academic centres in London and New York. Its international focus reflects a commitment to interactive “hands-on” education that draws creatively upon the resources of important art centres worldwide.

Summer Study in London and New York
Our in-depth, 4-week summer courses allow students to develop professional expertise, critical thinking skills, and enhanced knowledge of art and the international art market. They offer interesting and compelling insights into the art world and include lectures, guest speaker interviews, and site visits led by Sotheby’s Institute of Art faculty, international experts, and leading practitioners in the field.




MA Degree Programmes



Art Business


 The Master’s Degree programme in Art Business prepares students for careers in the commercial art world. This is not a business degree, but rather a degree in the business side of art. The Art Business programme is designed for students with an art historical background who want to understand business theories and practices as well as the technical and structural elements of the art market. Relevant professional art-world practice is studied, including marketing, the media, information technology, art content production, business communications, investment, insurance, valuation, art law, and economics.
Offered in New York and London.

Contemporary Art


 The Master’s Degree programme in Contemporary Art places emphasis on the artwork itself and how to critically approach and interpret contemporary art. Graduates benefit from the international perspective of the programme and go on to pursue a variety of fascinating careers in the contemporary art market: They open their own galleries; become curators, editors or critics; or are employed in commercial contemporary galleries or public museums throughout the world.
Offered in New York and London.

Fine and Decorative Art


 The Master’s Degree programme in Fine and Decorative Art offers an intensive immersion into the challenges of connoisseurship and the documentation of art. Based on the curriculum developed by Sotheby’s some forty years ago to train professionals for the auction house, this programme is taught from the perspective of an art expert rather than an academic art historian. It provides students with an understanding of art history and teaches connoisseurship, a skill rarely featured in other academic settings.
Offered in London.

American Fine and Decorative Art


 The Master’s Degree programme in American Fine and Decorative Art is taught from the perspective of an art expert, thus preparing graduates for careers in galleries, auction houses, consultancies, and museums, in which knowledge of the work of art is key. Based on Sotheby’s venerable Works of Art Course, the American Fine and Decorative Art course has been taught in New York for over twenty years and has produced graduates now active in myriad art professional careers. Students study the full range of American fine and decorative arts from 1630 — 1945.
Offered in New York.


Contemporary Design


 The Master’s Degree programme in Contemporary Design combines academic study of 20th century and contemporary decorative arts with an exploration of the professional design world. Furniture, ceramics, glass, patterns, metalwork, jewellery and dress from the Art Nouveau period to the pluralism of the present day are examined in relation to architecture and interiors, and wider theoretical and contextual issues. The course promotes an object-based methodology and develops visual, analytical and interpretative skills that are relevant to a range of careers.
Offered in London.

East Asian Art


 Focusing on the art history of China, Japan and Korea, the Master’s Degree programme in East Asian Art is designed for those who wish to become Asian art specialists with a knowledge of auction house, art market, and museum and gallery practices. Lectures and seminars are organised in three tracks: ritual and religious art, decorative art and pictorial art. Handling sessions and fieldwork include visits to major collections in Europe and a study trip to East Asia.
Offered in London.





Photography


 The Master’s Degree programme in Photography offers an in-depth study of photography and its significance in modern visual culture. Intended for students wishing to pursue a career as a specialist in photographic imagery, theory and object, this program examines the place of photography in the art world, focusing on the critical analysis of the earliest to the most recent photographic experiments.
Offered in London.

Interior Design


Open to all students at the New York campus, and to London campus students by advisement, this two-year option leads to both an MA degree from Sotheby’s Institute of Art and a Certificate in Basic Interior Design from the New York School of Interior Design.

The program’s first year is completed at Sotheby’s Institute in either London or New York and is identical to the MA curriculum in any of its major areas of study. Two additional semesters of hands-on Interior Design studio training are then completed at the New York School of Interior Design (NYSID) and a final interior design project, completed during the program’s last semester, takes the place of the MA thesis. This design project draws upon the studio and design techniques taught throughout the year at NYSID and is grounded in the historical/critical/business content of the first two semesters of coursework at Sotheby’s Institute. This final project is coordinated through a two-semester seminar, jointly supervised by NYSID and Institute faculty.

The program can be take part-time or full-time.
Students matriculated for the joint MA/Interior Design Certificate in New York may register for this curriculum on either a full- or part-time basis. There is also the option of a summer semester in Interior Design which, for full-time students, can make it possible to complete the program in December rather May of their second year.

Apply


 To apply, please click below to apply on-line at www.sothebysinstitute.com/applications.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year until the month before the start date of each program.

If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact one of our advisors below:

London:
Cara Gillespie
Tel +44 (0)20 7462 3250
Email: c.gillespie@sothebysinstitute.com

New York:
Alissa Roeder
Tel: 212.897-6647
Email: a.roeder@sothebysinstitute.com


Short Courses in New York


Short Courses and Public Programs offered by Sotheby’s Institute of Art – New York provide unique opportunities for participants to gain professional skills, knowledge and insight into the international art world. They are designed for those interested in strengthening their existing experience, as well as for those pursuing a passion for art.

Click here for Public Programs in New York.


Summer Study in London & New York
These in-depth, 4-week summer courses allow students to develop professional expertise, critical thinking skills, and enhanced knowledge of art and the international art market. They offer interesting and compelling insights into the art world and include lectures, guest speaker interviews, and site visits led by Sotheby’s Institute of Art faculty, international experts, and leading practitioners in the field.

Click here for London Summer Study

Click here for New York Summer Study