From the musician-artist to the person in charge of artworks, including experts in the art trade, the field of art encompasses different professions. Here are the programs that give access to them:
Which fields are covered by art careers?
Art careers are not limited to a simple artistic aspect often represented by painters, creators of art objects or sculptors. The art field also includes event-related, educational and commercial issues that themselves refer to legal and logistical questions.
It is thus a broad field including a multitude of players from different disciplines, notably:
- The creation of artworks and artistic products;
- Project production and management
- The trade in artworks;
- Related services linked to the art trade (appraisal of artworks, art law, etc.).
The art field must therefore be considered in a broader dimension, all the more so as it is a dynamic sector. More complete career opportunities are thus open to students wishing to enter art-related careers.
What Are the Art-Related Professions?
As the field of art is vast, art-related activities are numerous. Here are the main art professions by sector of activity:
- Creative artists: painters, sculptors, ceramists, engravers, visual artists, photographers, interior decorators, interior architects;
- Performing artists: musician / singer, actor, theater and circus artists;
- Art trade professionals: gallery owner, antiques dealer, auctioneer, ancient art expert, contemporary art expert, cataloguer, auctioneer’s assistant/clerk, art business developer, artist agent, communications or audience manager, exhibition curator, art broker.
- Artistic programming officers of cultural venues, exhibition curators and event producers
What Programs Are Required to Enter Art-Related Careers?
IESA, the international school for culture professions and the art market, offers several programs for students wishing to start a career in art trade and promotion. Several post-high-school levels of study are offered:
- 3-year programs or Bachelor;
- 5-year programs or Master;
- 5-year programs: Professional Master or MBA.
Post-High-School 3-Year Programs (Bachelor’s Equivalent)
The Bachelor in Art Expertise and Trade is a 3-year program awarding a level 6 title degree registered with the RNCP. This program is aimed at students holding a baccalauréat, but it is also possible to join it through lateral admission in the 2nd and 3rd year. This degree allows further study toward a Master or an MBA.
5-Year Programs
IESA offers 4 Bac + 5 programs grouped under the Masters for Experts in the Marketing and Distribution of Works of Art:
- Master in Ancient Art and Modern Art
- Master in Contemporary Art
- Master Exhibition Curation
- Master Professional Art Market which is open to professionals, but also to students who have gained initial professional experience.
Open to students holding a bachelor’s degree (bac + 3) and to professionals, the Masters in Art Market Expertise and Distribution of Artworks award a level 7 title registered with the RNCP.
MBA-type programs in English (Bac+5)
IESA offers 5 MBA programs:
- MBA Arts and Collecting Management;
- MBA Arts and Cultural Management;
- MBA Arts and Luxury Management;
- Performing Art Management;
- Contemporary Art: Sales, display, and Collecting.
These programs are open to professionals in a specialization phase, as well as to students holding a Master 1 (Bac+4). Each of them awards a registered level 7 RNCP title. Note that the MBA programs are taught entirely in English.
Art training: professional placement rate
For Bachelor graduates who do not wish to continue their studies, the job placement rate is 85%. They can work as:
- Assistant/salesperson/client account manager in a gallery or antiques shop;
- Insurer’s assistant specialized in artworks;
- Communications officer / editorial communication specialized in the art market, or cataloger.
They gain their skills notably through the professional practice, study trips, and personal projects they carry out during their program.
For Master graduates, the job placement rate reaches 98%, mainly in the arts sector. 83% of graduates land the position they are aiming for on leaving school.
IESA admission requirements
Registration goes through 4 steps:
- Apply via the application form or the online application;
- An admission interview: conducted through an individual interview or an admission session;
- An admissions committee deliberates to admit the student or not;
- An enrollment file to be submitted once the student is admitted.
Upon receipt of the application file, the admissions department contacts the candidate for an admission session or an individual appointment.
IESA’s 3-year Bachelors are intended for students holding a Baccalauréat. Students holding a validated Bac+1 or Bac+2 can join the program in the 2nd or 3rd year through lateral admission procedures.
The 2-year Masters are intended for those with a Bachelor or bachelor’s degree. It is possible to join these programs directly in the 2nd year if you hold a Bac+4.