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Musings and Wisdom: Metis Art Education
Aspiring to be an art collector but unsure of where to begin? Take heart in Metis Art Education – an art advisory with various tailored curricula for all art enthusiasts! The brand operates alongside professionals, family offices, member clubs, and corporate groups, but ultimately, they cater to anyone interested in learning more about art and wish to be ushered to the starting line.
“Read and see as much as possible before you make purchases. Be selective about the galleries you buy from!”
In Greek, Metis refers to “craft, skill, or wisdom,” and is often associated with prudence and counsel. Indeed, this aptly named business offers specialised art education for aspiring collectors as well as consultation services for clients building a collection or those seeking advice in curating their purchases. They understand that the current offerings and books out there can be overwhelming for an individual to follow, so they come with a solution of cogent frameworks to aid your journey as an art collector or surveyor.
What can I expect from Metris Art Education?
The varied backgrounds of the two Co-Founders of Metis Art Education helps them understand what you need. Co-Founder and Director of Education & Consultancy, Christina J. Chua, comes from a more traditional art background. Her previous affiliations with Ota Fine Arts and Yeo Workshop lent her the experience of working with a whole range of emerging to blue-chip artists. Meanwhile, the Co-Founder and Director of Business Development, Cliff Hartono, was previously in finance at Credit Suisse before he switched tracks to become a natural history dealer. While he was an outsider to the art industry, Cliff had sensed how intimidating art galleries and fairs could feel to the uninitiated. He soon realised that many of his friends whom he assumed would be informed – the lawyers, doctors, entrepreneurs, and other professionals – also shared these feelings of uncertainty and alienation from the art industry. From experience, he saw that there was a lack of accessibility to education for new collectors. Even when some auction houses did hold courses, he found them to be rather time-intensive and lacking in an Asian perspective, much less a local one. In short, Cliff became acutely aware of the large barrier to entry should one be interested in collecting art.
Appreciating the outsider’s need to be informed and the having insider’s credentials to share the knowledge, the co-founders, Christina and Cliff, were driven to derive a system catered to new art collectors. The concept of The Tetrad – an introductory course that covers art history, the setup of the art ecosystem, as well as a guide to collecting and current trends.
In just 4 sessions, The Tetrad offers participants a comprehensive introduction to the art world. The course covers in 2-hour sessions:
1. The Board Strokes of Art History
2. The Art Ecosystem
3. Value, Price, and Investments
4. Trends, Theory, and Vocabulary
The Tetrad will suitably equip any aspiring collectors with information on the field to further regard their specific interests in collecting. Without a doubt, it will still take hours of research and lots of effort to finetune a specific collection. But fret not, Metis Art Education also offers The Chapters – advanced courses featuring a more rigorous and focused curricula led by curators, critics, art historians, and philanthropists. Additionally, they partner with local and international art non-profits and donate 50% of their course fees.
“We nurture new collectors and patrons – I think this is what this region needs. Art Patronage isn’t just about hanging a work on your wall. We introduce avenues for philanthropy to help attendees come to the holistic, interconnected nature of the arts ecosystem.”
At Metis Art Education, they believe that art is always about others and is committed to building transnational bridges across both established and nascent art ecosystems. By setting into motion a robust programme of engagement between our institutional partners and young collectors around the world, they prove that they are in it for the long haul.
Upcoming plans with Metris Art Education
At present, Metris Art Education is working with esteemed curators to develop advanced online courses on collecting digital art and NFTs, curating beyond the white cube, and on collecting female artists. They will also be launching their first patrons tour in partnership with a luxury travel agency to several cities in Europe, covering the Venice and Berlin Biennales, and documenta in Kassel. With such enticing updates to come, what could be a better time to learn more about art than now?