Claremont Graduate University and Sotheby’s Institute of Art have created a groundbreaking partnership to establish a new Master’s degree in Art Business.  Aligned with the Peter F. Drucker & Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management’s strategy on creative industries, the partnership blends a deep understanding of art and its markets with business and management knowledge and application.  The visual arts, as part of the creative industries, require managerial and leadership skills and insight to blend creative talent with rigorous business fundamentals.

This collaborative program brings together the strengths of the two partners.  Claremont Graduate University offers a premier management program with the resources of a comprehensive graduate university and The Claremont Colleges.  A distinguished institute of the arts, Sotheby’s contributes over 40 years’ experience in graduate art education coupled with its partnership with Sotheby’s auction house, a large alumni network with extensive links in the global art world.

Sotheby’s New York and London Art Business programs concentrate exclusively on the business of the visual arts, providing students with an opportunity to specialize in diverse areas in the field.  Core courses are supplemented by arts-related electives such as Arts Collection Management, Curating Contemporary Art, Art Finance and Investing, and The Auction Business.  The program provides access to the New York City and London art scenes, allowing students to interact with a broad spectrum of leaders in the field, including auctioneers, dealers, collectors, consultants, museum directors, curators, and critics.

With close proximity to the Los Angeles art world, the Los Angeles program offers greater depth in business and management education and a diverse range of coursework opportunities in museum studies, archival studies, media studies, arts management, and general management.

Degree Requirements

 

MA in Art Business

 

The Master of Arts in Art Business requires 48 units of academic coursework, of which at least 30 units are taken in required courses and up to 18 units are taken as electives. The degree is designed to be completed in three semesters of full-time study (16 units per semester) and begins in the fall semester. The Art Business program is a partnership between Sotheby’s Institute of Art and The Drucker School of Management at CGU.

 

Master’s Project: All students are required to complete a capstone Master’s Project, which is normally the result of the Critical Entrepreneurship and Startup Studio sequence of courses. Proposals for Master’s Projects must be approved by your academic advisor or the Director or Associate Director of CMCI. Master’s Projects take the shape of plans for ventures, initiatives, or businesses and are presented publicly at the end of the final semester to panels of arts professionals and investors.

 

Art Business on Site: All students are expected to participate in field study travel in each semester of the program. For more information on field study, see the TRAVEL section of the CMCI handbook.

 

Optional Concentrations: All students who satisfactorily complete the minimum requirements as set forth above shall receive a general Master of Arts in Art Business.   Additionally, students in the Art Business program may choose to pursue one of the following concentrations. Election of a concentration must be approved by the student’s academic advisor or the Director or Associate Director of the CMCI:

 

East Asian Art and Its Markets

• Students with an interest in the art and markets of China, Japan, Korea and other East Asian countries may elect this concentration.
• Coursework: At least 10 units of approved courses on East Asian topics (e.g. East Asian Art Markets, or East Asian Art and Cultural Policy).

 

Latin American Art and its Markets

• Students with an interest in the arts of Mexico as well as the growing national centers of Central and South America may elect this concentration, which focuses on the history, markets, and cultural policies of the region.
• Coursework: At least 10 units of approved courses on Latin American topics (e.g. Latin American Art Markets, or Modern and Contemporary Latin American Art).

 

Contemporary Art and its Markets

• Students with an exclusive interest in contemporary art may choose this concentration, which includes a year-long survey of contemporary art’s recent history and theory
• Coursework: At least 10 units of approved courses in Contemporary Art topics