Art Business

Overview

To ensure the health and safety of our students, we are providing remote learning for this Master's program in Fall 2020. Our on-campus experience in the London art world begins in Spring 2021.

Students may elect to enter the program in the Fall or Spring. For students entering the program in Fall 2020, our remote learning methodology will take students virtually into emerging and established markets, provide global access both online and onsite to galleries, museums, artists’ studios, private collections, and art fairs, introduce them to international experts and artists, and provide them with skills for doing business in the digital era, such as virtual appraisals, online auctions, and much more.

About the Program

Become an art business expert through the in-depth exploration of art markets and management. The Master’s degree in Art Business offers a unique opportunity to study the art market right at the hub of the cultural and commercial art world: London. It provides students with an academic but highly practical understanding of those areas considered most important by art world professionals and employers: finance and management; law and ethics; and global art market dynamics. The MA in Art Business provides students with the necessary theories and skills to enable them to develop both a critical and practical understanding of art business. Students are also equipped with the necessary mathematical skills to enable them to engage in sophisticated financial analysis and business planning. Graduates of this program will thus emerge with the ability to place the art object within both its aesthetic and commercial context, and to discuss the legal/ethical implications of its historical provenance and current location.

Academic Structure

The MA in Art Business was the first program of its kind and our innovative curriculum continues to set the industry standard. The Master’s degree is awarded for 120 taught credits across two semesters, as well as the completion of a 60-credit dissertation over the course of an additional semester. The program is of twelve months’ duration.

The first two semesters are intensively taught on three to four days per week. All students attend lectures, usually followed by a one-hour seminar. After seminars, students have access to tutors for individual instruction. In the first semester, Navigating the Art World (30 Credits) brings students from different MAs together for an introduction to the art world and to a variety of postgraduate research skills and methodologies within the disciplines of art history and art business. Later in the program, specialist electives can be chosen from across all Institute Master’s programs, allowing a student to build a personalized Master’s profile. Students take two 15-credit electives across a variety of offerings for deeper expertise or to develop specialties. Core units (60 credits) for the Art Business degree include Art Business: Management and Finance and International Art World.

For the MA degree, students must complete the 60-credit dissertation in their third semester. During this final semester there is no formal teaching, with students researching their dissertation topics under the guidance of individual supervisors. At the start of the program, students are allocated a personal tutor who supports their academic and personal development throughout. Lectures are given by members of the faculty as well as by consultants whose main work is within the art world, thus facilitating networking opportunities.

About Students

Art Business students are introduced to established art markets of Europe and North America, as well as the emerging markets of China and South-East Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Russia, and Latin America. Field trips to art fairs as well as regular gallery and auction house visits develop firsthand knowledge of the art world and facilitate networking with its main players. 

Students also learn the skills of art business management and financial analysis. Elective units enable students to focus in depth on specific art market sectors and art businesses or on areas of art and related issues including contemporary Asian art, East Asian art, curating contemporary art, and performance art.