Investment or Passion? A guide to navigating the art market

On October 22nd, María Sancho-Arroyo, adjunct Professor at Sotheby’s Institute, New York and an art market expert with more than 30 years of international experience, comes to ADA for the launch of her book; “Investment or Passion? A guide to navigating the art market“.   

This is the first textbook written in Spanish which provides an in-depth analysis of how today’s art market operates. Maria was prompted to write this book having noticed that there was a shortage of literature on the workings of the international art market written in Spanish, in contrast to the wide availability of books on the subject available in English.  

Her book is based on the course “Navigating the Art World” which Maria has been teaching at Sotheby’s Institute in New York for the past six years and delves into the complex dynamics of art collecting. It is a detailed guide to understanding how the art market works and addresses topics such as the particularities of different sales channels (auctions and galleries), art as an investment and the impact of museums on the market. The final chapter focuses on collection management, an understanding of which is essential for collectors to maximize the potential of their works. 

This book is an excellent guide for those who wish to enter the art market, whether as buyers, sellers, future professionals or simply out of personal interest. 

Maria will be in conversation with Juan Várez, collector and former President of Christie’s Spain.

Additional information

Limited places are available and will be assigned by registration only.

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Image credits: Joan Mitchell, Noon, 1969. Courtesy of Sotheby’s.

María Sancho-Arroyo

María Sancho-Arroyo is an adjunct Professor at Sotheby’s Institute in New York and an art market expert with more than 30 years of international experience. She began her career at the National Museum of Art of Catalonia, MNAC, in Barcelona and from there she went to the Louvre in Paris. A few years later María moved to London to work at Sotheby’s. María regularly participates in conferences on art market trends, and has given talks at Georgetown University (Washington, DC), Tsinghua University (Beijing), Centro Universitario (Mexico City) and other institutions. In November 2022, she began a collaboration with Pinta, organizing a series of talks focused on global and Latin American art market issues.

Juan Várez Benegas

Juan Várez Benegas is a collector and former President of Christie’s in Spain. He has a degree in Law and completed his Master’s in Ancient European Painting of the 16th and 17th centuries at the Courtauld Institute of Fine Arts in London. He has taught Art Market classes for postgraduates at the Instituto de Empresa and at the IArt Institute, both in Madrid. He is a member of the board of trustees of the Fundación ARCO, the Fundación Museo ABC, and the Asociación de Amigos de la Hispanic Society as well as Fundación Balia.