Art and Its Markets: Navigating Art, Finance & Value
Course overview
This 10 week intensive programme has been specifically designed to provide you with the knowledge, skills, and networks you need to confidently navigate the global art market. Offered live online with in-person formative sessions and field trips included in the program, this course is designed for aspiring collectors, professionals, family offices, and anyone seeking to establish a significant presence in the art world.
Guided by the former Director of Education at Christie’s London, Glen Hardwick-Bruce and alongside accomplished Christie’s Education alumni now working across the sector, as well as leaders in their fields, the programme combines rigorous academic insight with real-world expertise. Each session delivers the practical tools and deep understanding essential to evaluating, acquiring, and investing in art.
The course has been designed around practicality: assignments and field visits included in the package match a rigorous academic setup. A Venetian weekend, consisting of a comprehesive o guided tour of the 2026 Biennale and other tours will complete the learning.
Students of the 10-weeks cohort will also receive preferential access to the upcoming revisited ArtWorldAdvisoryAlumni community.
Course Highlights
Over the 10 weeks, you will explore:
Introduction to the Art Market – how a $5 canvas becomes a $5M+ treasure
Art Valuations & Purpose – pricing the priceless
Art and its Markets - from emerging scenes to Trophy lots– from old masters to NFTs
Auctions and the secondary market - theatre, strategy & price discovery
Writing for the Art Market – from wall labels to investment memos.
The Art of finance - where wealth management meets art
Art Market Space - inside out, a museum as a place of innovation
The Art of Luxury and the Luxury of Art - new channels for ancient indulgences
Art Law & Ethics - Written and Unwritten Rules of the Game
Bringing it all together - the collecting journey: experiencing the art market from the Inside.
Beyond the Classroom
While the course is delivered online for maximum accessibility, participants will also have the opportunity to join visits to leading art fairs and the Venice Biennale. An exclusive and dedicated alumni group offering network support, long-term professional growth and also providing invaluable access to the communities and connections that define the art world.
Who Should Join
Professionals seeking to advance or pivot into the art sector
Aspiring collectors looking to build their confidence and expertise
Family offices aiming to diversify portfolios through art investment
Entrepreneurs and advisors setting up family offices or private collections
Why This Programme?
This course goes beyond theory, offering you analytical frameworks, practical know-how, and insider perspectives from those at the forefront of the market. Each week features short, practical assignments—assessed at the end of the course with personalised feedback—to consolidate learning. By the end of the 10 weeks, you will be positioned not only to understand art as a cultural asset but also to leverage it as a financial and strategic one—an essential skill set in today’s evolving global art economy.
The Dates
3 February - 7 April 2026
Tuesday evenings via Zoom
Time: 7.00pm - 8.00pm (UK time)
Fees
Registration Standard: €2000
Complete access to all 10 sessions
Learning materials
Certificate of Completion
Registration Premium: €2200
All benefits of the standard registration
Access to exclusive workshops
Networking sessions with professionals in the field
Trip to Art Fair and Venice Biennale
Early Bird: €1500 - with discount code - GJYTWHP(for registrations before January 2026)
Access to all standard benefits
learning materials
to register for the premium contact us directly.
Meet Your Lecturers
Raffaella Vitale
Raffaella is an art advisor and consultant with extensive experience in the art industry. Born in Italy, she holds a BA in Economics from the University of Siena and studied Art Business at Sotheby's Institute in London, where she now regularly lectures. Raffaella’s career includes roles as an Art Collection Manager for London-based art advisory Gurr Johns and as an Art Lecturer onboard various luxury yachts.
Cristiano De Lorenzo
Cristiano is Christie’s Italy’s managing director.
Graduated in History of Art from La Sapienza University, Rome, his diverse career has led him from showbusiness, to public museums, private art institutions, editorial activity and university teaching.
Cristiano’s auction business career began at Christie’s London in 2008 in the European Public Relations Department. Subsequently, he moved to Hong Kong where he spent three years as Chief of Staff to the Asian Chairman. In 2016, he moved to Milan to run the Italian branch of the auction house.
Passionate about all forms of art, architecture and design, he now adheres to a corporate role within the secondary art market and often ascends a Christie's rostrum for charity auctions in collaboration with various non-profit organisations.
Melanie Gerlis
Melanie became the art market correspondent for the Financial Times in 2016 and has a dedicated weekly slot. She was previously Art Market Editor for The Art Newspaper (2007-2016) and remains its editor-at-large. Before working in the art world, she was a financial communications adviser at Finsbury in the City of London (1996-2005), with a focus on the financial services industry. Melanie has a BA in English Literature from Cambridge University and an MA in Art Business from Sotheby’s Institute of Art. She has authored books on the art market including Art as an Investment? (2014) and The Art Fair Story: A Rollercoaster Ride (2021) and is a regular commentator on art market trends and developments, appearing on television and on BBC Radio 4’s Front Row. A freelancer, Melanie also writes for The Times, a monthly column for The Art Newspaper and for UBS’s contemporary art platform. Melanie is a member of the governing body for Sotheby’s Institute of Art and a trustee of The Art Academy, London.
Matteo Pace
Matteo is a London-based wealth manager and family office advisor shaping the intersections between global markets and the art world. He works with professionals, entrepreneurs and families on multi-asset portfolios that integrate art, collectibles and other real assets into long-term wealth and alternative investment strategies. Alongside his client work, Matteo has co-founded and invested in a select group of art businesses and advises across the primary and secondary markets, supporting artists and next-generation collectors with clear, disciplined and ethical advice.
Giulia Anselmo
Giulia is an Attorney-at-Law and scholar specialising in private law, contemporary art, and the legal frameworks of the art market. She holds a PhD in Private Law from LUMSA University, including a period as a visiting researcher in the United States, and an MSc in Art Law and Business from Christie’s Education.
She is currently an adjunct lecturer at LUMSA University, where she teaches Contemporary Art, Innovation and Social Change and Legal Writing. Her academic career has included research fellowships at the Universities of Siena and Palermo, as well as a Research Fellowship with the Tokyo Foundation under the Sylff Program.
Alongside academia, she has gained first-hand experience of the art market and cultural institutions, collaborating with Christie’s in London and with non-profits and international exhibitions. She regularly publishes and speaks on legal and regulatory issues shaping the contemporary art world.
Beatrice Campi
An independent art consultant, lecturer, and auctioneer with over twelve years of experience in the auction world and cultural heritage sector, Beatrice brings a wealth of expertise in Islamic and Indian Art. From her early years at Christie’s to leading specialist departments at Chiswick Auctions and co-founding Azca Auctions, she has shaped and expanded the field with passion and vision.
Beyond the commercial realm, Beatrice’s academic curiosity shines through her collaborations with museums and cultural institutions—most notably Water, Islam and Art (MAO Museum, Turin; Sharjah, UAE) and Persia Felix (MITA Museum, Brescia)—as well as her contribution to Encounters: Medieval Islamic History in 50 Objects (Routledge, 2025and out
Sara Mao
An expert in the global arts and luxury landscape, Sara Mao is recognisable from multiple facets of the industry from Art Specialist, to Auctioneer, Curator, and Educator. She has established herself as a trusted advisor and sought-after speaker on art, luxury, and cultural strategy.
Growing up within a deep legacy of art collecting and philanthropy, Sara was inspired by her grandfather, a founding member of the Min Chiu Society and the Oriental Ceramics Society of Hong Kong. It was how she developed a foundational understanding of connoisseurship and cultural stewardship.
This lifelong passion led her to the centre of the art world, where she cultivated a rich expertise in Asian arts and the dynamics of the global art market as a Chinese Painting specialist at Christie's, then proceeded to receive her very first gavel as Auctioneer. As one of Asia’s first trilingual female auctioneers, she gained unparalleled insight into collecting trends and the nuanced relationship between art, value, and legacy.
Over the past decade, Sara has curated initiatives, designed and led prestigious education programs, built strategic partnerships across Asia Pacific, and conducted charity auctions for global organisations.
She serves on the Board of the Sovereign Art Foundation, and Hong Chi Association’s Academy of Sports & Art, promoting art therapy and education across Asia.
