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The Art of Collecting

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Online
Early Booking Rate

The Art of Collecting

The ever-changing global landscape of today’s art market, with its international art fairs and dizzying calendar of live and online auctions, presents more opportunities than ever to buy art.

The Art of Collecting introduces valuable strategies for focus and discernment as you build your collection and offers professional insights around how to navigate this fast-paced international marketplace as a collector.

Discussions include how to determine a collection focus, differentiating price from value, understanding due diligence checklists, issues surrounding authenticity and forgeries, as well as simple tips for inventory management. Using a variety of art historical resources and price databases, students will embark on a virtual “shopping trip,” applying basic collecting guidelines and comparative strategies to make a hypothetical acquisition for your collection.

  • Price
    $1,590
    Early Booking Rate
    $1,490
    if registered by June 7
  • Register
  • Date
    August 2 - September 12
  • Duration
    6 Weeks
  • Type
    Flexible Course
  • Location
    Online
  • Topics
    • Art Business,
    • Collecting
  • Language
    English
  • Contact Admissions
    online@sia.edu+1 646-473-2464

Faculty

Betsy Thomas

Adjunct Faculty, MA Art Business, New York and Online Premier

Betsy Thomas is the founder of a boutique art advisory firm providing professional representation for collectors. She advises on buying and selling in all areas of fine art from Old Master, American & 19th C. paintings to Impressionist, Modern & Contemporary Masters. Previously Betsy was Vice President and Associate Specialist in the 19th Century European Paintings Department at Christie’s. Throughout her career, she has worked closely with private collectors and institutions developing high-quality collections as well as managing sales of estates, private and corporate collections. She is a frequent contributor to Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine. Betsy serves as the U.S. Alumni Chair for the Courtauld Institute.

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Sample Schedule

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More Information

  • About Flexible Courses

    About Flexible Courses

    This flexible online course is delivered in weekly modules consisting of recorded lectures, instructor-guided discussion boards, and supplementary resources. The course will include a final project with personalized feedback from the course instructor. All participants will have read-only access to the course materials for an additional 90 days after the course end date.

    Review the online course Terms and Conditions.

  • Students Will Learn

    Students Will Learn

    • To identify and assess key aspects of collecting in order to confidently acquire artworks within the parameters of a budget and vision.
    • To identify and implement art historical research skills and tools as well as online resources to understand potential art acquisitions.
    • To perform comparable price research in order to assess artwork valuation.
    • To recognize the legal complexities and consequences of artwork forgeries and to understand how to perform basic due diligence before acquiring a work of art
  • Course Completion

    Course Completion

    For successfully completing this course, you receive a verified Certificate of Completion from Sotheby’s Institute of Art as well as 2.3 IACET Continuing Education Units. *

    Our digital certificates allow you to share new skills with various social media platforms, including LinkedIn. Successful completion is defined by each instructor in the course syllabus and consists, at the least, of regular, thoughtful participation in online activities and timely submission of assigned papers or projects.

    *As an IACET Accredited Provider, Sotheby’s Institute of Art offers IACET CEUs for its learning events that comply with the ANSI/IACET Continuing Education and Training Standard