Art Market BA(Hons)

Why choose this course?

If you are interested in developing a career in the arts market, particularly in the appraisal of arts and artefacts, this course is ideal. A unique programme in the UK, this degree is run jointly by the School of Surveying & Planning and the School of Art & Design History, with a course content that reflects this partnership.

The degree is fully accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). You will also be eligible to register for the RICS Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) upon gaining a graduate position or placement year. The APC is the practice qualification to become a chartered surveyor.

What will you study?

Core modules will give you a thorough grounding in the history of art and design; the principles and practice of valuation; and the legal frameworks within which the art market functions.

Visits to galleries and fairs, and meetings with a range of art market professionals, enhance the teaching and will introduce you to the realities of the international art world.

Watch a video about history of art and design at Kingston University

Nick Tromans talks about history of art and design at Kingston:

Please note that this is an indicative list of modules and is not intended as a definitive list. Those listed here may also be a mixture of core and optional modules.

Year 1

• Business Management

• Business Management

  The module introduces you to:

  • the nature and purpose of organisations – within both theoretical and applied contexts;
  • the history and development of management thinking; and
  • its place within the developing business environment.

  The module is taught by a series of lectures and seminars. You will take an active part in discussions and debate, and develop your research skills. Assessment is by coursework.

   

  
   
• Themes in Art History

• Themes in Art History

  This module introduces you to the history of art. You will cover:

  • historical and cultural factors that shape the production of art;
  • the historical basis of preconceptions common to twentieth century views on art; and
  • how to relate texts to images.
  
   
• Introduction to Architectural Culture and Design History

• Introduction to Architectural Culture and Design History

  This module introduces you to the history of Western architecture, design and the decorative arts. It spans the Gothic period to the early nineteenth century. You will look at:

  • stylistic and ideological developments of architecture, design and the decorative arts;
  • the changing meanings and interpretations of these developments; and
  • different modes of representing architecture and design.
  
   
• Visual Culture: An Introduction

• Visual Culture: An Introduction

  This module introduces you to visual culture and the issues associated with it. You will gain the skills, resources and approaches needed to study images and objects from both the past and present.

  
   
• Material Culture: An Introduction

• Material Culture: An Introduction

  This module covers different approaches to the study of designed and manufactured objects and environments. You will consider critical and presentational contexts for these objects and environments.

  
   
• The Arts Market Business: Context and Connoisseurship

• The Arts Market Business: Context and Connoisseurship

  This module introduces you to the business context of the arts market. It covers:

  • how the economic value of artefacts is determined and changes over time; and
  • a theoretical introduction to economics, including the principles of discounting.
  
   
• Projects in the Arts Market I: Introduction to Galleries and Auction Houses

• Projects in the Arts Market I: Introduction to Galleries and Auction Houses

  This module is for full-time and sandwich year students only. It is designed to prepare you to work within the art and design market, introducing you to:

  • how arts market transactions occur – by learning about auction houses and their business; and
  • the role of display, curation and public perception in the creation and maintenance of value in the market place.
  
   
• Work-based Learning for the Arts Market I

• Work-based Learning for the Arts Market I

  This module is available only to students on the part-time route who are in relevant employment. Through project work based on your life experiences, you develop your powers of observation, reflection and enquiry.

  
   

Year 2

• Design and Architecture in the 20th Century

• Design and Architecture in the 20th Century

  This module looks at early to late twentieth century architecture and design in Europe and North America. It covers:

  • the broader social and political context;
  • 'modernism' and 'post-modernism' as cultural responses to early and late modernity; and
  • concepts central to this period.
  
   
• Victorian Architecture, Design and Industrial Culture 1830-1914

• Victorian Architecture, Design and Industrial Culture 1830-1914

  This module looks at early to late twentieth century architecture and design in Europe and North America. It covers:

  • the broader social and political context;
  • 'modernism' and 'post-modernism' as cultural responses to early and late modernity; and
  • concepts central to this period.
  
   
• European Art World 1860–1940
• Introduction to Law for the Arts Market

• Introduction to Law for the Arts Market

  This module provides a legal framework for arts market practitioners. Lectures and seminars develop your knowledge of the legal principles applying to auctions, arts market and art property. 

  
   
• Projects in the Arts Market II

• Projects in the Arts Market II

  This module, designed for full-time and sandwich year students only, introduces you to the global art world and the importance of art fairs. Through a series of lectures and seminars, normally culminating in a residential visit to a European city to view a major art fair, you explore the experience of the exhibition and trading environment at first hand.

  
   
• The Arts Market: Objects and Authentication

• The Arts Market: Objects and Authentication

  This module develops your knowledge of art and design history, using it to explore:

  • problems of authentication;
  • how to value artworks;
  • how to research and value objects; and
  • how to put together collections.
  
   
• Work-based Learning for the Arts Market II

• Work-based Learning for the Arts Market II

  This module is only available to students studying the part-time route. Rather than formal teaching, you learn through workplace projects, which provide you with:

  • a framework within which you can apply theoretical knowledge; and
  • the ability to self-assess your professional practice.
  
   
• Research Journal in Context

• Research Journal in Context

  In this module you work in a group to produce a mock issue of a journal within your field of study.  This will:

  • introduce you to academic writing and criticism related to your field of study;
  • give you an exciting opportunity to study, within narrow boundaries, a subject of your own choosing; and
  • enable you to to engage in a peer review process and work together to submit a bound volume of papers.

  Assessment is by your own submission, your part in the peer review, and in finished volume.

  
   

Year 3

• Cultures of Consumption

• Cultures of Consumption

  This module explores the role of visual and material cultures in the history and context of commercial culture. You consider how commercial cultures have come to change and structure both historical and contemporary communities.

  You also gain a framework for the research and investigation of commercial and consumer practices in both a historical and contemporary context.

  
   
• Dutch Art and Society in the 17th Century

• Dutch Art and Society in the 17th Century

  This module explores Dutch art in the 17th century. You will develop your in-depth knowledge through case-studies and look at:

  • the relationships between visual culture, modes of representation and social, cultural and economic structures; and
  • art historical methods and approaches.
  
   
• The Museums Industry

• The Museums Industry

  In this module you explore museums and galleries not only as cultural institutions but also in a broader social and economic context. Public policy in the creation and maintenance of museums and galleries will also be discussed.

  Teaching will be by a series of lectures, seminars and visits, allowing you to develop your own interests. You will be assessed by a critical project report and seminar presentation.

  
   
• Handmade: The Politics of Craft

• Handmade: The Politics of Craft

  This module explores critical conceptions of craft practices. It looks at how 'craft' has been a central, if conspicuously absent, aspect of broader debates concerning art, design and industrial culture.

  
   
• The Arts Market: Current Issues and Practice

• The Arts Market: Current Issues and Practice

  This module addresses critical practice issues that impact on the arts market. You will study:

  • market and global trends; and
  • issues such as ethical behaviour and the impact of the professionalisation of the arts market.

  Guest speakers from industry supplement a series of seminars in which you debate topical issues.

  
   
• Critical Practice Project

• Critical Practice Project

  This double module is designed for part-time students only. It allows you to undertake a research project in the workplace, developing in-depth skills and knowledge related to your own practice or that of the organisation in which you work.

  
   
• Dissertation

• Dissertation

  This module is for full-time and sandwich year students only. It allows you to explore a particular topic of interest in depth. You will:

  • engage in sustained research;
  • demonstrate a critical awareness of the material and the methods you have selected; and
  • develop your critical and analytical skills.

  Introductory research seminars and workshops prepare you to work independently.

  
   
• Professional Practice Law for the Arts Market

• Professional Practice Law for the Arts Market

  This module develops your legal and analytical skills. Lectures, seminars and a mock legal dispute provide an introduction to specialist areas of law.