Our Approach
For more than forty years Sotheby's Institute of Art has been preparing students for careers in the international art world.
Our vision is to be universally acknowledged as the premier provider of advanced object-based art education, whose graduates combine passion for the visual arts with scholarship and market sophistication in order to flourish as leaders in the international art world.
Our degrees are awarded by the
University of Manchester in the UK and through the
Regents of the State of New York and accredited by the
National Association of Schools of Art and Design and combine professional training with academic study.
The Institute combines a unique object-based approach to works of art and art history with study of the international markets and their practices. Its graduates combine a passion for art with scholarship and market sophistication.
The Institute offers programs leading to PhD and MA degrees as well as courses taught on-line (available anywhere/anytime). There are also a variety of semester-long, study abroad and summer program options for graduate and undergraduate students as well as for continuing professional development. Special lectures, seminars and evening courses are offered throughout the year in both London and New York.
At the London campus, degrees are awarded by the University of Manchester. In New York, degrees are granted through the Regents of the State of New York and accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.
Hands on history
Students learn through actual first-hand examination of works of art in the galleries and museums of London and New York and in private collections.
This first-hand looking at works of art is the cornerstone of our approach to teaching, whether at postgraduate or undergraduate level and has been a distinguishing feature of Sotheby's Institute of Art for over 40 years.
Individual attention
Faculty members are available to provide guidance on both academic and career-related subjects. Teaching styles facilitate a close working relationship with the student based on the academic tutorial system. Visit and seminar groups are divided into small numbers.
Practical training for a career
All of our programmes are designed to prepare students for a career in the international art world. The Institute also works with students to help them find internships at Sotheby's auction house or in galleries and art institutions. Study programmes and internships give invaluable experience and lead to professional contacts. Many of our alumni are working in positions all over the world as gallery assistants, gallery owners, curators and dealers or are working in art-related positions in art insurance, publishing or arts marketing and administration.
Click here for more information on careers.
Travel to worldwide art centres
Many of the Institute's study programmes include travel to major art fairs, exhibitions, museums and collections in Europe, Asia and North America. This allows students to see and experience art and objects in their historical context as well as adding regional knowledge to particular areas of study.
Internships at Sotheby's
Sotheby's Internships offer the opportunity to gain a better understanding of how an auction house works, how art is managed in a commercial environment and how Sotheby's business fits together. Internships are unpaid and are offered throughout the year according to the auction schedule and last for a minimum of one month to a maximum of three months.