“With Drouot Formation, choose to bring your professional life in line with your passion”
Frédéric Ballon, director of Drouot Formation
What Is Drouot Formation?
Drouot Formation is an art market training school created in 2011 by the Drouot group. It is located opposite the Drouot auction house, an emblematic venue visited daily by nearly 5,000 individuals and professionals and handling about 550,000 artworks each year. This location makes it an exceptional place to learn. It offers a short, intensive one-year program, “Art Market Specialist Consultant”, which aims to train excellent professionals able to adapt to market fluctuations.
The 4 reasons to join this program
“Art Market Specialist Consultant”
1 / An ideal program for a career change
The “Art Market Specialist Consultant” program is aimed at people looking to change careers into the art market with an entrepreneurial spirit. It is intended for candidates who already have a cultural background and/or professional experience. These varied initial “skills” (art history, law, communication, finance, marketing, IT…) combined with the Drouot Formation program form a powerful lever that allows them to become operational quickly. Our students of all nationalities thus form very rich cohorts in which both friendships and professional ties are woven.
Live from the Art Market
The “ Art Market Specialist Consultant” program, recognized by the professional community, allows daily immersion in the art market thanks to its proximity to the Drouot auction house. In direct contact with works and market players, this privileged location is a unique environment in which to train in appraisal, build your professional network and follow day by day the evolution of an ever-changing market.
The program’s ambition is to train excellent professionals able to adapt to market fluctuations. The "Consultant" program draws its effectiveness from the fact that candidates already have a cultural background and / or professional experience. These varied initial "skills" (art history, law, communication, finance, marketing, IT…) combined with the year of training are a powerful lever allowing students to be quickly operational in the art market at the end of their program.
Our students of all nationalities thus form very rich cohorts within which both friendly and professional ties are woven.
2 / Short and intensive program
This "Consultant" program runs from the beginning of October to the end of June at a rate of 20 hours of classes Monday to Friday, to which is added roughly the equivalent in personal work (market monitoring, exam preparation, regular attendance at cultural events, development of the professional project, etc.). Drouot Formation also offers the possibility to earn the "Consultant" title over a period of 2 years or to take courses à la carte.
Schedule
- Early October to end of June.
- 20 hours of classes Monday to Friday.
To this is added the equivalent in personal work (market monitoring, exam preparation, regular attendance at cultural events, development of the professional project, etc.).
The 3 Pillars of the Program
- History of Fine Arts and Decorative Arts, from the Renaissance to the present day,
- Training in appraisal,
- How the market works.
Possibility to earn the "Consultant" title over 2 years or to take courses à la carte.
A Unique Teaching Method
- Art history applied to the art market,
- Learning to look,
- Complete mastery of the process of showcasing works (purchase, restoration, research, exhibition, valuation, sale, etc.).
These three axes form the main strengths of the program.
The great coherence of the program gives students a deep and lasting knowledge of the many disciplines they are taught.
A faculty made up of art market professionals
Our instructors are renowned professionals and specialists. The knowledge taught at Drouot Formation is both practical and perfectly in tune with market reality. The large number of these instructors across all disciplines also helps build an effective network.
Program Cost
The cost of the professional Bachelor in Art Market is €10,450. Ms. Florence Guillon is available to inform you about the different payment and financing options.
3 / Our team
Frédéric Ballon, director
A graduate in contemporary French history, business law and art history, he complemented his studies with training in cabinetmaking. He is also a former director and teacher at Christie’s Education Paris. A specialist in the history of decorative arts and design, he is an ardent defender of traditional craft professions and also of their ties to contemporary creation. In 2011, he was appointed by the Drouot Group to design the "Art Market Specialist Consultant" program so that students can train their eye through direct contact with works and professionals.
Florence Guillon, administrative secretary
Having worked for Drouot for 28 years, Florence Guillon has been head of reception, the subscriptions department, and catalogs, and is currently administrative secretary of Drouot Formation. She knows all the ins and outs of the auction house, making her the go-to contact for students, to whom she can give useful advice for the smooth running of their studies.
4 / Our History
Around the Drouot auction rooms there is a remarkable density of professionals in the sector. It was here that in 1851 the Paris chamber of auctioneers settled and in 1852 Drouot became a multi-service platform: press, auctions, appraisals, and teaching with Drouot Formation. Drouot Formation was created in 2011 by the Drouot group.
In 2019, IESA arts&culture took over Drouot Formation and integrated it into its program offering.
Our alumni share their stories
"Thanks to Drouot Formation, I carried out my plan to open an urban and contemporary art gallery in Paris. Drouot gave me the legitimacy and confidence needed for this type of project. It is a program without which I would not have embarked on the adventure, and I recommend it to everyone who loves art and objects. It was an exciting year!"
Élodie, class of 2022-2023
