Written by Teresa Alcazar Jiménez

My academic path was built on logic and structure including law, international relations, and finance. Art, by contrast, existed in a different part of my life entirely: in the museums I visited, and in the canvases quietly accumulating in my basement, the fruit of my own artistic practice.

For a long time, these two worlds felt separate, and the art market — with its overlapping hierarchies and unwritten rules — felt like something reserved for those already on the inside. When I discovered the Art and Finance in a Global Market evening course at Sotheby’s Institute of Art, I saw, for the first time, a bridge between the analytical mind I had trained and the passion I had always carried. I decided to cross it.

The Decision to Enrol

My motivations were twofold: a deep personal passion for art, and a professional goal to pivot into the industry. I had already taken some steps in that direction — visiting galleries, reading, and attempting online courses — though I found it difficult to stay focused and engaged without the structure and human energy of a proper learning environment.

The art market is not something you can simply read about and understand. It has layers: historical, financial, cultural, relational. I needed expert guidance and a room full of people who cared as much as I did. In hindsight, enrolling in this course was not just a good decision — it was a necessary one.

Diving In: The Art Market Unveiled

From the very first lecture, I knew I had made the right choice. Our introduction to the art market was revelatory, not because it simplified things, but because it honestly illustrated their complexity. The overlapping dynamics between the primary and secondary markets, the roles of galleries, auction houses, collectors, and dealers — all of it unfolded with a clarity I had not encountered before.

I remember sitting there, simultaneously overwhelmed and energized, realising just how much context I had been missing. That first session alone reframed the way I read, write, and think about art.

An Unexpected Gift: Warmth from the Industry

If I’m honest, one of the things that surprised me most was not a topic covered in the syllabus, it was the people. The art world has a reputation for being difficult to break into, guarded, even intimidating. That was not the experience I had here.

Our lecturer, Joe Dunning, was exceptional: thorough, engaging, and genuinely committed to making sure every concept landed clearly. But beyond the teaching itself, it was the guest speakers who left a lasting impression.

These were professionals at the forefront of the industry and yet they were approachable, open, and eager to engage with us as students. Conversations flowed naturally. Questions were welcomed, not just tolerated. Several speakers connected with me on LinkedIn afterwards, offering advice and encouragement.

I came into this course carrying a quiet fear that the art world would keep its distance from me. I left feeling welcomed into it. That shift — from outsider to someone who belongs — is something I did not anticipate, and it has meant more than I can properly express.

The Knowledge That Changes Everything

Across the six weeks, the course covered an impressive breadth of ground, from valuation methodologies and the mechanics of the auction market, to the psychology of collectors and the evolving role of art as a financial asset. Each session added a new layer of understanding. I began to see connections I had previously missed: between market cycles and artistic movements, between financial structures and curatorial decisions, between the very private world of the collector and the very public world of the auction room.

This knowledge has already begun to shape my work. The freelance articles I write now carry a different depth. I approach subjects with more confidence, more precision, and a clearer sense of the wider landscape in which art exists and moves. I genuinely believe that without this course, I would have continued to work with significant blind spots. The insights gained here are not supplementary knowledge, they are foundational.

Looking Forward

Completing this certificate is both an ending and a beginning. I am sad that the sessions are over — there was something genuinely special about those evenings, the discussions, the shared curiosity in the room. But the tools I have gained, the connections I have made, and the confidence I have built will carry forward into everything I do next.

For anyone considering this course — whether you are already working in the art world and want to deepen your understanding, or you are, like me, in the process of finding your way in — I cannot recommend it highly enough. Sotheby’s Institute of Art does not just teach you about the market. It makes you feel, from the very first evening, that you are a part of it.