Sotheby's Institute of Art and Tsinghua University Announce Historic Global Partnership

NEW YORK, March 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Building on its distinctive global programs dedicated to the study of art business and the international art markets, Sotheby's Institute of Art announces a new partnership with Beijing's Tsinghua University, one of China's most prestigious and influential academic institutions. Marking Sotheby's Institute's official expansion into mainland China, this collaboration in Beijing will add a fourth major center of the international market to Sotheby's Institute's roster of campuses, which currently includes London, New York and Los Angeles.

Through this joint venture, Sotheby's Institute of Art, Tsinghua University School of Economics & Management (Tsinghua SEM), and Tsinghua University Academy of Arts & Design (Tsinghua AAD) will combine their academic resources and distinguished faculties of art-market practitioners, business professionals, economists, artists and scholars to offer courses, degrees and professional certificates that integrate graduate-level business and finance studies with specialized knowledge of art and its markets.

The partnership comes on the cusp of Sotheby's Institute's 45^th anniversary year, marking a new milestone in the Institute's legacy and further demonstrating its commitment to educating the next generation of art world professionals. The extraordinary growth of the art market in China and the vitality of its creative arts communities underscore the importance of new programs to educate professionals for this burgeoning cultural marketplace—a principle that has been the cornerstone of Sotheby's Institute's mission since 1969. Bringing together the expertise of two highly distinguished institutions that, together, can address regional, global and specialized trends in the field is a groundbreaking development in art business education.   

Scheduled to launch in the fall of 2014, a six-week cross continent field study program dedicated to New Global Art Markets and Connoisseurship will lead to a professional certificate. It will span the course of one year and will be delivered through intensive week-long residencies in major art centers around the world: Beijing, London, New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong, among others. This program is designed for students, professionals and art collectors who wish to strengthen their knowledge of the international art world by working with top practitioners to understand how the markets operate in important economic and historical segments. Each week is dedicated to key principles of the art business, including connoisseurship and market trends in the context of regional differences, and each city provides real-world experience and exposure to new companies, specialized markets and professional networks. Participants will have privileged access to some of the world's finest collections and works of art, as well as visits to the studios, galleries and other institutions that define much of today's art activity.

A two-year Master's in Art Business Management will be offered in Beijing and will incorporate faculty and coursework from the MA in Art Business at Sotheby's Institute of Art, the MBA program at Tsinghua SEM, and MA programs at Tsinghua AAD. This curriculum is built on a framework of business, law, marketing and finance, supplemented by specialized modules such as appraisal and art evaluation techniques, gallery and auction house operations, and art collection management. There will be a focus on the history and practices of the Asian art market, and students will also benefit from international study trips.  

About Sotheby's Institute of Art
Sotheby's Institute of Art is the Graduate School of Art and its Markets with campuses in the cultural capitals of London, New York and Los Angeles. The Institute also offers a range of online courses, continuing education and executive education in cities around the globe. Originally conceived as a training program for connoisseurship by Sotheby's auction house in 1969, today Sotheby's Institute is one of the most prestigious degree-granting institutions of its kind and is recognized for pioneering the education of arts professionals. The Institute has more than 6,000 alumni worldwide who hold top positions in all facets of the international art world. For more information please visit www.sothebysinstitute.com. Sotheby's Institute of Art is a division of Cambridge Information Group (CIG): www.cigcompanies.com.

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SOURCE Sotheby's Institute of Art