Art Market, Provenance and the History of Collecting (Taught)

The University of Buckingham is:

• Home of the two-year degree, the University of Buckingham, based in the South East of England, is ranked 6th for Student Satisfaction in the UK (National Student Survey, 2020).

• We are proudly independent and not-for-profit, and offer courses in Allied Health, Business, Computing, Education, Humanities, Law, Medicine, Psychology and Security and Intelligence. We are one of the few universities in the UK that offer September and January start dates for almost all of our courses.

• Based in Buckingham on a riverside campus, we are only 20 minutes’ from Milton Keynes central station and a short drive from Bicester, Aylesbury, Banbury and Northampton. There is free parking on-site and we are within easy reach of London and Oxford.

• Our award-winning small class tutorials ensure every student is known by name and supported throughout their studies, including by dedicated personal tutors.

• As pioneers of the two-year degree, we offer a condensed version of the traditional three-year degree, meaning you can gain a full honours degree and complete your studies a whole year earlier. Alternatively, you can complete both your undergraduate and master’s degree with us in just three years: saving you time and money.

Investigating European and global art markets and cultures of collecting, the MA is both academic and vocational. There is a strong focus on developing research skills, including for the practice of Provenance Research, on writing for a variety of audiences, and on the first-hand study of objects and collections within museums. The course is taught in London by specialists from The University of Buckingham and from outside experts, with frequent visits to museums and institutions.

• Unique postgraduate degree, focusing on vocational skills such as Provenance Research and tools of research for the history of collecting and the art market.

• Interdisciplinary and diverse in approach

• Taught in Bloomsbury, London

• Visits to key museums, collections, galleries and auction houses in the UK and abroad

• Study Week in Vienna or Florence

• Country House Study Week (shared with the MA Decorative Arts and Historic Interiors)

The MA in Art Market, Provenance and History of Collecting investigates these subjects across many centuries, from the evolution of Renaissance studioli and cabinets of curiosities to country house collections and current debates on provenance, restitution and cultural identity, from a global perspective.

The MA is taught at Buckingham’s London campus in Bloomsbury. At the heart of a cosmopolitan city, whose institutions have been shaped by centuries of collecting and dealership, you will have globally renowned museums, galleries, auction houses, archives, and libraries at your fingertips and which we will visit frequently as a class.

You will therefore not only learn from Buckingham’s team of lecturers, but also from representatives of relevant cultural institutions, equipping you to pursue independent, original, and rigorous research in this exciting field. This Programme has long-standing links to the Rothschild Collections at Waddesdon Manor and the British Museum. The Country House Study Week and Study Week to Vienna or Florence make this programme unique and allow for a comparative approach and a truly international experience.

Country House Study Week & Study Week in Vienna or Florence
The course will include a Country House Study Week (shared with the MA Decorative Arts and Historic Interiors), as well as a Study Week in Vienna or Florence , where students will have the opportunity to study several key European collections and participate in workshops organised in partnership with relevant institutions.

The course includes frequent study visits to the British Museum, the British Library, the National Gallery, V&A South Kensington, the Wallace Collection, Sir John Soane’s Museum, Waddesdon Manor and many others.