Now accepting applications for Fall 2023 and Spring 2024
Beginning in Spring 2023, a Study Abroad option will be available for students who wish to explore the art world at the heart of a global cultural capital, London. Since 1969, Sotheby’s Institute of Art has offered postgraduate programs that combine cutting-edge teaching with business acumen and insider access to the art world. Study Abroad extends that opportunity to undergraduate students worldwide.
Study Abroad students will gain a deep understanding of the art world, its museums and collections, dealers and auction houses, public and commercial galleries. Combining a global perspective on contemporary visual culture with matchless access to industry experiences, students will be equipped with the intellectual and professional skills that will benefit them both in their future employment and complement their studies at their home institution.
The Global Art Market This foundational course uncovers the art world ecosystem, introducing the key concepts, individuals, and business models that underpin the global art market and wider creative economy. Exclusive access to individuals and institutions within the art world is a crucial learning tool for this course. Includes field trips to Sotheby’s auction house.
Exploring Collections, Exploding Canons This course takes a critical look at the Western tradition of art history through a range of London and UK art collections, and engages with some of the key contemporary cultural debates around the politics of collecting and display. This includes decolonisation, gender, and the future of monuments in the museums and cultural heritage sector. Includes fields trip to The British Museum, Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford, and The National Gallery, London.
Digital Futures in Contemporary Art This course introduces the dynamic discourse at the intersection of art and technology. It examines the fast-evolving digital world and how it is reshaping art practice, the international art market, and the curatorial field. Includes field trips to contemporary art galleries and dealers and a digital studio.
The Curator Academy With a project-oriented focus, this unit will equip students with the contextual knowledge and practical skills to plan, develop, and deliver a curatorial project. Topics will include the curator as auteur, facilitator, mediator and project manager as well as contemporary curatorial approaches and research methodology.
Creative Business Accelerator In this unit, students will learn to develop and present a business plan for a commercial or social enterprise within the creative economy. Students will gain a range of sought-after hard and soft skills, across five key areas: market analysis, product or service design, branding, assessing resources, and an in-depth financial forecasting.
While the Study Abroad program allows students to gain undergraduate course credits, Gap Semester is offered as 6-week and 12-week terms, and ideal for those aged 18-21 to broaden their perspectives, meet new people, and develop an intimate understanding of the art world.
Modules on London’s museum and gallery collections and the politics of display, and the impact of digital technologies on contemporary art.
Professional development gained through a choice of the Curator Academy or Creative Business Accelerator modules.
An international experience at the heart of an historic and cosmopolitan global city.
A network of industry experts, academics and peers in addition to a dedicated careers program.
A program validated by the University of Manchester, a prestigious Russell Group university.
Residential options and a full program of extra-curricular student life activities.
Program Leader
Catherine is an art historian, author and independent curator and critic whose work often focuses on feminism and visual culture and critical approaches to art and art history. Learn more...
Read MoreConsultant Lecturer, London
Ed Leeson is Associate Director of The Residence Gallery, London. He also lectures specializing in modern and contemporary art, its markets and wider cultural studies. He is a summer course leader at Sotheby’s Institute of Art, London and a staff lecturer at TATE. He has organized exhibitions at galleries and project spaces across London.
Read MoreCourse Leader: Curating., and Course Leader: Art and Social Responsibility
Originally from Chicago, Amy holds a PhD in the History of Art from University College London on the construction of the self in fin-de-siècle photography. Since 2007 she has been an Assistant Curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum. In the Sculpture, Metalwork, Ceramics and Glass Department, she has undertaken a very wide range of curatorial activities, working on major exhibition projects, with special responsibility for the sculpture collection and expertise on wax objects.
Read MoreGap Year Course Leader, London
Dan Vo is a media producer and museum professional specialising in queer history and inclusive museum practice. In 2021 he led the V&A Academy’s A Queer History of Objects course.
Read MoreWe are partnering with a select number of universities for this Study Abroad program. If you are interested in sending students to Sotheby’s Institute of Art or learning more about the curriculum and student life, please contact admissions@sia.edu.
Contact your home institution’s study abroad office to discuss how credits will apply to your transcript, or contact us to discuss your options admissions@sia.edu.
All applicants must be at least 18 years old by beginning of the program and currently enrolled in an undergraduate university program.
The Study Abroad program is suitable for students studying a wide range of major subjects across, humanities, arts, and business.
The Humanities: History of Art, Visual Cultures, History, Media, Communications and Cultural Studies
Creative Industries: Fine Art, Design, Fashion and Luxury, Photography, Textiles
Business: Creative Economy, Entrepreneurial and allied fields, Marketing
Spring 2023: January 16 – May 7, 2023
Fall 2023: September 4 – December 17, 2023
Spring 2024: January 15 – April 28, 2024
Live and Learn in the city where tradition meets avant-garde.
Our London Institute is situated in Bedford Square with the British Museum in the neighboring square. Sotheby’s auction house, the National Gallery, and the Royal Academy of Arts are a short walk away. The Institute is also close to Mayfair, the traditional center of the London art market where many dealers and galleries are located.
Well-appointed student accommodation is located in Central London, with easy access to the cultural, educational, and social opportunities available within this dynamic city.
We are happy to welcome visitors to Sotheby’s Institute of Art. If you would like to book a tour or meet with a member of our team, please contact studyabroad@sia.edu.