Sotheby's Institute of Art and Claremont Graduate University Announce New Master's Program in Art Business

Sotheby's Institute of Art and Claremont Graduate University announced today a groundbreaking partnership establishing a new master's degree in Art Business.

Building on the programs pioneered by Sotheby's Institute of Art more than 40 years ago and integrating coursework from Claremont's Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management, this partnership effectively establishes the first MA of its kind to be granted in conjunction with a leading MBA program in the United States. It reflects Sotheby's Institute's commitment to harnessing the energy, creativity and expertise of professionals in the world's major centers of art and culture, establishing Los Angeles as its third global campus in addition to London and New York.

"As the artistic capital of the Western United States and the unrivaled hub of the international entertainment industry, Los Angeles provides a natural setting for a rigorous graduate program focused on the intersection of art and commerce," said David C. Levy, President of Sotheby's Institute of Art. "This partnership with one of America's most selective graduate institutions will make possible a unique educational opportunity for students pursuing careers in the international art world. The opportunity it affords aspiring art professionals to explore the evolution of the art markets, and to study their foundations, principles and best practices under the direction of a distinguished faculty of practitioners and scholars, is unprecedented and much in demand."

"We are very fortunate to partner with the Sotheby's Institute of Art," said Bernie Jaworski, interim dean of the Drucker School. "Sotheby's Institute of Art is the world's leading provider of art business education. By blending the deep substantive art experience and perspective of the institute with our world-class management faculty, we are designing a truly innovative program with hands-on, practical application. At the same time, this program supports the larger Drucker School strategy of focusing on creative industries. Creative industries, such as the arts, require unique managerial and leadership insight to blend creative talent and rigorous business fundamentals."

This three-semester MA program examines the history and practices of western art and its markets, with additional exploration of the dynamically emerging art markets of Asia and Latin America. Core classes are taught by distinguished art world professionals, experts and scholars from Sotheby's Institute of Art and the celebrated business faculty of Claremont's Drucker School.

The curriculum is built on a two-semester framework of business, law, marketing and finance, supplemented by specialized modules in such key subjects as gallery and auction house operations, art collection management and art evaluation. An international travel component includes seminars and symposia at major art world events, such as Art Basel Miami Beach and the Venice Biennale. The third semester is based on electives which students may select from the upper-level art history courses of The Claremont Colleges, the Drucker School's MBA offerings, Claremont's MFA in studio art or its graduate programs in Arts Management or Museum Studies. Alternatively, students may elect to spend their third semester at Sotheby's Institute's London or New York campus.

Sotheby's Institute of Art and Claremont Graduate University are now accepting MA applications for the Art Business program in Los Angeles, which begins in fall 2013. For more information about the program, admission requirements and deadlines, visit www.sothebysinstitute.com or www.cgu.edu.

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, as well as a range of online course offerings. Originally conceived as a training program for connoisseurship by Sotheby's Auction House in 1969, Sotheby's Institute has pioneered the education of arts professionals and is today one of the most prestigious degree-granting institutions of its kind. 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: www.cigcompanies.com.

The Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management offers a variety of professional and doctoral degrees, including MBA, EMBA, and the MS in Financial Engineering. It has expanded the traditional path in business education, offering innovative programs, such as the MA in Arts Management, an MA in Politics, Business, and Economics, and its focus on management for creative industries. Named for the father of modern business management education and world-renowned author and consultant, Peter Drucker, and accomplished global business leader and philanthropist, Masatoshi Ito, the school produces graduates who have a strong sense of social responsibility and a deep desire to make a difference by doing well while also doing good.

Founded in 1925, Claremont Graduate University is the graduate university of the Claremont Colleges. Our five academic schools conduct leading-edge research and award masters and doctoral degrees in 24 disciplines. Because the world's problems are not simple nor easily defined, diverse faculty and students research and study across the traditional discipline boundaries to create new and practical solutions for the major problems plaguing our world. A Southern California based graduate school devoted entirely to graduate research and study, CGU boasts a low student-to-faculty ratio.