Two-day course on International Contemporary Art
To Be Held for the First time in New Delhi
Sessions by LeadingAcademics and SpecialistsInclude A Special Focus on Indian &South Asian Art
Friday, 24th and Saturday, 25th February, 2017 at the Leela Palace Hotel, New Delhi
‘Sotheby's Institute of Art is at the forefront of international Contemporary Art and Art Business education.For the first time in New Delhi, we are thrilled to present an immersive and enriching two-day programme on global contemporary art with leading international experts in the field. It is highly recommended for collectors, curators, specialists, gallerists and enthusiasts of contemporary art globally.’ - Gaurav Bhatia, Managing Director, Sotheby’s India
For the first time, Sotheby’s will offer a two-day course in New Delhi, organised in collaboration with Sotheby’s Institute of Art.This unique two-day course immerses participants in the international contemporary art scene since 1960. The programme is designed for collectors and art enthusiasts and provides an overview of the development of artistic practice in the West, as well as an analysis of art from India and other emerging markets. Informative lectures, discussions and ‘hands-on’ sessions are led by Sotheby’s Institute of Art faculty, Sotheby’s auction house specialists and other leading experts in the field.The course will coincide with Sotheby’s public exhibition in New Delhi, also at the Leela Palace Hotel, of highlights from its forthcoming New York auction of Modern & Contemporary South Asian Art.
To be held at the Leela Palace Hotel in New Delhi, the programme will encompass ‘classroom’ sessions as well as guided visits, interactive panel discussions and lectures with market experts. Lunches with the speakers and specialists are included and provide a unique opportunity to further discuss and debate key issues. As part of the experience, course participants will be invited to attend Sotheby’s private cocktail reception to preview its exhibition in New Delhi.
Former participants of Sotheby’s Institute of Art short courses testify to their positive experiences:
"The course I attended was an incredibly immersive and panoramic survey of the international contemporary art landscape. Far from providing a snapshot, the three days had an exacting line up of lectures by stellar faculty, site visits to galleries, museums and collectors’ homes, combined with engaging conversation with a wonderful cohort of fellow participants. The programme’s unique design makes it enriching not just for novices but also those with considerable prior knowledge of contemporary art. I would highly recommend it." Gayatri Rangachari Shah,Journalist and Editor for, among others, Vogue, New York Times,The Indian Express, Mint and The Hindu – Participant from the Mumbai International Contemporary Art Programme, 2016
“If before I was avoiding art conversations, now I can't stop having them. From the art-enthusiast class mates that I had and the invaluable lectures, to the art gallery trips in the city that were beautifully curated by the lecturers, it was an unforgettable experience. For few days, the art became the centre of my universe and, without my will, after the course I have incorporated the Indian Contemporary style in my own work. I would definitely recommend anyone who is an art lover to join these courses as they are the easiest way to find your own identity as art lover, and once you realise that there is no right or wrong, good or bad, beautiful or ugly in art, then you can have your own view on everything and explore the art which makes you feel good or happy or beautiful.” Seran Gheorghe - Participant from the Mumbai International Contemporary Art Programme, 2016
‘The calibre of speakers was really impressive and we were taken on a range of interesting gallery visits. I feel I have learnt so much...I would most definitely recommend the course to anyone else considering it.’ – Participant from Business Management of an Art Gallery, 2016
‘A different kind of insight about both artists and artwork. Not the obvious information that you might find in art books...’– Participant from History of Art, Part III: Pre-War to Pop, 2016
‘My experience in looking at art and reading about art has been changed profoundly in a very positive way. I am even more excited about Contemporary Art than I thought I could be! Classmates - what a wonderful group! I have made some great friends and contacts throughout the world and I do hope we will all keep in touch.’ – Participant from Contemporary Art in Paris Today, 2016
Course schedule (subject to change):
Friday, 24 February: The Developmentof Contemporary Art
09.30 – 09.45 Registration and Welcome
09.45 – 10.00 Introduction
10.00 – 11.15 The Emergence ofContemporary Art, 1960-1980
Ben Street, Consultant Lecturer, Sotheby’s Institute of Art - London
11.30 – 12.45 Towards the New Millennium: Contemporary Art, 1980-2000
Ben Street, Consultant Lecturer, Sotheby’s Institute of Art - London
12.45 – 14.00 Lunch
14.15 – 15.30 InterpretingContemporary Art
Ben Street, Consultant Lecturer, Sotheby’s Institute of Art - London
15.45 – 17.30 Artistic Practice Today: A Conversation
Ben Street, Consultant Lecturer, Sotheby’s Institute of Art – London
Artist (TBC)
19.00 Sotheby’s Cocktail Reception
Saturday, 25 February: International Contemporary Art
10.00 – 11.15 Contemporary Art Around the World
Ben Street, Consultant Lecturer, Sotheby’s Institute of Art - London
11.30 – 12.45 Indian and South Asian Art in a Global Context
Yamini Mehta, International Head of Department, Indian and Southeast Asian Art, Sotheby’s
12.45 – 14.00 Lunch
14.15 – 15.30 Guided Visit to Sotheby’s forthcoming sale highlights
15.45 – 17.30 Panel Discussion: Artistic Quality and Auction Value
Ben Street, Consultant Lecturer, Sotheby’s Institute of Art – London
Yamini Mehta, International Head of Department, Indian and Southeast Asian Art, Sotheby’s
Collector (TBC)
Further details on the programme’s content:
This course will trace the emergence and development of international contemporary art from the 1960s on, outlining dramatic transformations in material, concepts and methods, and culminating in the global landscape of art today. Placing contemporary art in its historical and art-historical context, each lecture will highlight the most significant artists and artworks produced in the last sixty years. Themes to be addressed will include the ongoing practice of painting; the rise of installation art; art and political critique; photography and contemporary art; and the emergence of alternative voices from beyond the narrow conventions of the history of art.
Beyond a comprehensive survey of international contemporary art, the course will also provide ways to recognise and interpret compelling works of contemporary art. By assessing a broad swathe of examples from across the world in a vast array of media - from painting, photography and video to performance, installation and new media art - participants will develop methods to analyse and find meaning in contemporary art.
Beyond lectures, participants will also have opportunities to engage in discussion with Sotheby’s experts, artists and collectors about their engagement with the international art and auction market, touching upon provenance, value, performance by sector and the auction process itself.
About Sotheby’s Institute of Art (SIA)
Evolving from a small connoisseurship program begun by Sotheby's auction house in 1969, Sotheby's Institute of Art is now the leader in art business education and object based learning. Its faculty represents the best of the art world helping students master the unique forces at play at the intersection of art and commerce.
With campuses in London, New York and Los Angeles, Sotheby’s Institute of Art offers graduate level programs alongside study abroad schemes, summer programs, online learning and executive education. Sotheby's Institute is open to all with a passion for art that seek to go beyond the classroom and experience the art world first hand.
Faculty (subject to change)
Ben Street, Art Historian and Consultant Lecturer, Sotheby’s Institute of Art-London
Ben Street lectures on modern art, contemporary art and old master painting for a number of institutions, including Sotheby's Institute of Art, The National Gallery, Tate, the Victoria and Albert Museum and Dulwich Picture Gallery, as well as private organisations in the UK and abroad. He has contributed essays for museums and galleries across the world and is a contributing writer on contemporary art for Art Review magazine. Ben has consulted on public engagement in contemporary art for The Art Fund UK, Art Night London, Documenta (St Petersburg) and Overgaden (Copenhagen). He was the co-writer and presenter of 'Duchamp's Urinal' for BBC Radio 4 and is the author of interpretative material for major exhibitions at Tate and the Royal Academy. Ben has an MA in Art History from the University of Edinburgh.
Yamini Mehta, Senior Director, International Head of Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art, Sotheby’s London and New York
Yamini Mehta joined Sotheby’s in 2012 after a fourteen year career at Christie’s where she helped to establish the Indian art department in New York in 1998. She was appointed as Specialist and Head of South Asian Modern and Contemporary Art at Christie’s in June 2005. In her role Ms. Mehta expanded and oversaw the international sales of South Asian Modern and Contemporary Art in New York, London, Hong Kong and Dubai. Ms. Mehta provides trusted advice and serves in a client and business development capacity with Sotheby’s highest echelon of collectors. As the prior Head of South Asian Modern and Contemporary Art sales at Christie’s, she has overseen the consignments and sales of numerous record works as well as the highest sale totals ever to be achieved in the field (September 2006, $17.8 million; June 2010, £12.5 million).
Notable works that Ms. Mehta has secured for auction include: Saurashtra by Syed Haider Raza which holds the record for any modern Indian work of art at £2.4 million, sold in 2010; Birth by Francis Newton Souza which achieved the record price of £1.27 million in 2008; N. S. Harsha’s Mass Marriage which achieved a record for the artist in Hong Kong of HK$6,480,000 in 2007; and Subodh Gupta’s Untitled stainless steel installation, which is a current record achieved in 2008 for sculpture at £601,250, amongst many others. She has also expanded the number of contemporary artists included into auctions working with the region’s best known art galleries, collectors and curators. She comes with a wealth of experience bringing access and knowledge of the market to the field.
For further information, please contact:
Martin Williams, Manager of Public Programs, Sotheby’s Institute of Art-London
+44 (0) 207 462 3249 or m.williams@sothebysinstitute.com
Niharika Anand, Sotheby’s India
+91 22 66653710 or niharika.anand@sothebys.com