Sotheby's Institute of Art is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

, for-profit college in London and New York City. It is a subsidiary of

Sotheby's Sotheby's ( ) is a British-founded multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine art, fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, an ...

fine art dealers.

History

Originally conceived as a training program for connoisseurship by Sotheby's auction house in 1969, Sotheby's Institute of Art aims to provide students with education on the business of art while exploring both the scholarly and practical sides of the art world. In 1995, Sotheby's Institute of Art – London was granted the status of an Affiliated Institution of the

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

's Department of Art History and Archaeology. At the end of 2002, Sotheby's sold its Institute to a US-based information and educational services firm,

Cambridge Information Group Cambridge Information Group (CIG) is a privately held, family-owned global investment firm focusing on information services, education and technology. The company is led by CEO Andy Snyder. History CIG was founded in 1971 by Robert Snyder and a ...

(CIG), which retains the Sotheby's name. Sotheby's Institute continues to have strong links with Sotheby's auction house, having members on the Sotheby's Institute of Art – London advisory board and students having access to internships, auctions and exhibitions at Sotheby's. From September 2023 a partnership with Culture&, a Black arts and education charity, attempts to increase

diversity Diversity, diversify, or diverse may refer to: Business *Diversity (business), the inclusion of people of different identities (ethnicity, gender, age) in the workforce *Diversity marketing, marketing communication targeting diverse customers * ...

in the UK art world by offering scholarships for courses within the institute's Masters programmes to students from under-represented communities. In September 2006, the Institute broadened its course offerings in New York and in 2010 the New York Institute received degree-granting authority from the Regents of the State of New York. It has been an accredited member of the

National Association of Schools of Art and Design The National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), founded in 1944, is an accrediting organization of colleges, schools and universities in the United States. The organization establishes standards for graduate and undergraduate degrees ...

since 1989. Between 2013 and 2019 Sotheby's Institute in partnership with the Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management at

Claremont Graduate University The Claremont Graduate University (CGU) is a private, all-graduate research university in Claremont, California, United States. Founded in 1925, CGU is a member of the Claremont Colleges consortium which includes five undergraduate and two grad ...

, established a new master's degree in Art Business. The institute also began offering courses in mainland China in 2013 and in March 2014 announced a partnership with

Tsinghua University Tsinghua University (THU) is a public university in Haidian, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of China. The university is part of Project 211, Project 985, and the Double First-Class Constructio ...

to offer a six-week international field study programme with a professional certificate. As of December 2023, the school was on the list for Heightened Cash Monitoring 2 for problems related to financial responsibility by the

US Department of Education US or Us most often refers to: * ''Us'' (pronoun), the objective case of the English first-person plural pronoun ''we'' * US, an abbreviation for the United States US, U.S., Us, us, or u.s. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Albums * ...

Academics

The Institute runs full-time master's degree programs in Art Business, Contemporary Art, Fine and Decorative Art, East Asian Art and Contemporary Design. In the summer, the institute offers two week and month long certificate programs in topics ranging from curation to art evaluation and provenance research. At the London campus, master's degrees are awarded by the

. In New York, master's degrees are granted through the Regents of the State of New York and accredited by the

Campuses

Sotheby's Institute London is situated in

Bedford Square Bedford Square is a garden square in the Bloomsbury district of the London Borough of Camden, Borough of Camden in London, England. History Built between 1775 and 1783 as an upper middle class residential area, the square has had many disti ...

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London, part of the London Borough of Camden in England. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural institution, cultural, intellectual, and educational ...

a well-preserved Georgian square with a private central garden, built between 1775 and 1783. The New York campus is located in the

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

landmark, the

General Electric Building The General Electric Building, also known as 570 Lexington Avenue, is a skyscraper at the southwestern corner of Lexington Avenue and 51st Street (Manhattan), 51st Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The building, designed by Cross & ...

in midtown Manhattan

Library

The libraries on the London and New York campuses collectively contain more than 3 million volumes, 350 databases, 70 print subscriptions, and 126 serials—all of which are academic in nature and related to art and the art market.

Relationship with Sotheby's auction house

Sotheby's Institute of Art was founded by Sotheby's auction house in London in 1969. Initially, the Institute served as a training program for auction house employees and provided lessons in connoisseurship. Auction house experts and professionals often serve as Sotheby's Institute of Art faculty and guest speakers. The Kiddell Collection (also known as "The Black Museum") is an accumulation of fakes, forgeries, and reproductions, built up over a number of decades by Sotheby's Auction House former director, Jim Kiddell. It is now on permanent loan to Sotheby's Institute of Art in London. Originally a resource for auction house employees, the collection continues to be used for teaching and research.

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1969 1969 establishments in England 1969 establishments in the United States Art schools in London Art schools in New York City Higher education colleges in London Universities and colleges in New York City University of Manchester Sotheby's Arts organizations established in 1969 Private universities and colleges in New York (state) For-profit universities and colleges in Europe For-profit schools in Manhattan For-profit universities and colleges in the United States