STUDY ABROAD

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For some disciplines, travel is essential. Want to study the decorative arts? “Christie’s Paris has a big, big emphasis in their programs, as well as London,” says Véronique Chagnon-Burke, director of studies for Christie’s Education, “while in New York we only deal with modern and contemporary art.” This fall, with the market in China rising, Christie’s London is introducing a contemporary Chinese art course and Sotheby’s London is launching its first 20th-century design course.

Both auction houses also offer a more comprehensive roster of short courses in their European capitals, say, the three-day course “Understanding Jewelry” at Christie’s London in February 2008 ($850) or evening lectures with wine (about $300 for a series), for which you can register at the last minute—a bonus for art-loving travelers.

Overseas, you’ll be able to experience art and antiques in incomparable settings. Since 1952, the Attingham Summer School has allowed two dozen Americans a year to join its esteemed ranks in an annual three-week study of the paintings, furniture, silver, textiles, ceramics and sculpture of Britain’s great country houses. While most participants are museum professionals and preservationists, “we have had some serious collectors,” says Elizabeth De Rosa, administrator of the American Friends of Attingham Summer School. “It’s a very competitive entry process that requires two letters of recommendation,” she explains. “In my experience, most serious collectors have relationships with museum curators who can then recommend them.”

The rigorous school schedule, which begins at 8:30 a.m. and may end with an evening lecture, includes about 25 country houses, and lessons from Britain’s top scholars. “The professionals who are your fellow classmates are what make this so enriching,” says De Rosa. “You can walk into a country house, and one will start talking about the Chinese porcelain and another will know about the gardens.” Inclusive of meals and dorm accommodations, the fee is $4,880. Attingham also offers a themed summer Study Week in Britain.

TAKE A COURSE WHILE AT THE FAIRS

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For almost two years now, Sotheby’s has been quietly offering courses to coincide with the world’s major fairs. Groups of 20 to 40 “students,” a.k.a. top collectors, attend panel discussions, meet with curators and study artists’ work with Art Basel Miami Beach, Art Basel, the Gulf Art Fair or Olympia Summer Fair as their classrooms. This fall, a three-day course at Frieze will be offered in English and Russian. “They’ve been a great success,” says Lyn Calzia, program manager for Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London. “The more you learn, the more you want to buy, and the networking cannot be equaled.”

BENEFIT FROM A YEAR-LONG PROGRAM

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When you first think about continuing education in the arts, it’s probably an M.A. that comes to mind. While both auction houses offer master’s programs (those that do have academic requirements that might include taking the GREs), they also have non-degree certificates that emphasize connoisseurship and are equally intense, meeting almost daily. The non-degree programs are typically half the cost of the roughly $40,000 master’s program. The students tend to be professionals from the art world, entrepreneurs who want to open galleries or collectors, says Christie’s Chagnon-Burke. “They learn how to sharpen their eye and understand the role of the auction house in the market.”

New York interior designer Amy Lau, who co-founded the fair Design Miami and heads its vetting committee, says her Sotheby’s degree has proved invaluable. “I really do use my education every day. I have situations where I have to say: ‘Is that really a Carlo Mollino table?’ Or I might have a client with an important painting who needs to have it looked at under black light and wants a proper frame. I know where to go.”

Lau recalls that her year-long American Fine & Decorative Arts program was rigorous: “I had to write two dissertations in a year and we traveled all over the United States meeting with curators, museum heads.” But it was worth it. “I left with a big database of experts, I can identify any wood just by sight and I know how to fact-check the auction house catalogue histories.”