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What were you doing before IESA arts&culture?
Before joining IESA arts&culture, I studied art history in high school and spent a year in hypokhâgne (a preparatory humanities class). Hypokhâgne gave me an extra year to think about my direction and to get used to Paris (I am from Rouen). I also studied a lot of visual arts as an elective in high school, which let me understand both the theory of art and its practice.
Why did you choose IESA arts&culture?
At a student fair I visited in my senior year of high school, I discovered IESA arts&culture and the programs it offered. I was very interested in the on-site courses, as well as the opportunity to do internships in many areas of the art market and events.
In your view, what are the strengths of this art market program?
The professional focus of the Bachelor in Art Expertise and Trade is a considerable asset in the very demanding art market. Discovering the workings of the art market early on and having the chance to meet the players in this market through internships is very enriching and useful for our entry into the job market. I also find the on-site courses very instructive: they let us engage directly with the working lives of art market professionals, whether craftspeople, artists, dealers, or experts.
What has been the “highlight” of your program so far?
The first-year trip to Florence was a chance for me to discover the masterpieces of the Tuscan and Italian Renaissance, and to spend a very pleasant stay with the class and the professors. It is a kind of “revival” of school field trips, but enriched with an intensive and dazzling program of visits.
How did your internships go as part of this program?
As for my internships, I would say everything has been very pleasant and interesting. This year in particular I was lucky enough to intern at a young contemporary art gallery, the Kogan Gallery. This internship brings me an enormous amount, because the gallery, barely a year old, requires a very large personal investment in everything related to developing its network and communicating its events. I have already helped prepare two exhibitions, and others are underway! It is very motivating!
I would advise future or young IESA students not to limit themselves to internships related to their specialty, but to seize every opportunity and take on multiple internships in order to build a large network of professional contacts and make the most of their personal experiences.
What would you like to do later on?
Tricky question… I am not sure yet, but I already think I could not do without working with young, dynamic artists, so as to always feel a drive to innovate in exhibitions and to work to bring them to the public. After finishing my three years of study at IESA arts&culture, I plan to continue my studies abroad and, in doing so, discover other ways of approaching the representation of contemporary artists.