Art Investment Masterclass
Sotheby’s Institute of Art x OmenaArt Foundation
On January 16, 2025, the inaugural session of the ART INVESTMENT MASTERCLASS – a groundbreaking initiative created by the OmenaArt Foundation in collaboration with Sotheby’s Institute of Art – took place. This is the first comprehensive program in Poland dedicated to investing in art and luxury goods, providing investors and business professionals with practical insights into market trends, analytical tools, and investment strategies within the global art market.
Drawing on over 50 years of expertise, Sotheby’s Institute of Art combines in-depth art market knowledge with innovative approaches to collecting and investing. The Masterclass program enables participants to merge their passion for art with a business-oriented perspective, allowing them to effectively diversify their investment portfolios through art assets.
The first course was held at the Centre for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle, one of Poland’s leading cultural institutions. Lindsay Dewar, COO and Head of Analytics at ArtTactic, delivered a lecture titled The Art Market Artists: Investment and Patronage in 2025, while Magdalena Kąkolewska, founder of the Art Transfer Foundation, shared insights on how to effectively implement art branding strategies.
Speakers
Lindsay Dewar
Lindsay Dewar is the Chief Operating Officer and Head of Analytics, and has been with ArtTactic since 2017. Leading the analytics and research team, she is responsible for developing research and products. With over a decade of experience across the commercial art industry, Lindsay has worked on multiple research and data analysis reports related to the industry, focusing on exhibition and collector finances, auction analysis. She has worked in various emerging Contemporary art galleries, art advisories and valuation companies, as well as numerous art research positions.
Passionate about sharing her expertise, and encouraging a new generation to embrace data and analysis within the art market, Lindsay regularly appears on panels, podcasts, and in art world articles. She holds teaching posts at Kingston University and Sotheby’s Institute of Art, and runs the ArtTactic mentoring and internship schemes. She is an active member of the Association of Women in the Arts (AWITA). Lindsay holds a Masters in Art Business from Sotheby’s Institute of Art, and a Masters in Art Market Appraisal from Kingston University.
Magdalena Kąkolewska
Magdalena Kąkolewska is a graduate of law and art history. She is a curator, educator, lecturer, author of articles and workshops focusing on art branding as a communication strategy. Through her work, she promotes the idea of artistic patronage in business environments and co-develops art branding strategies. From 2014 to 2022, she served as President of the Hestia Artistic Journey Foundation, organizing seven editions of a national competition for art students and 51 exhibitions of emerging artists.
She created the concept for the first conference dedicated to the intersection of art and business, which she continues to develop through the portal uncommonground.pl, managed by the Art Transfer Foundation she founded in 2012. She leads creative meetings, personal development workshops, and communication workshops based on art and creative activities. She believes that art fosters intergenerational dialogue, barrier-free communication, and the expression of our best selves.
Sotheby’s Institute of Art
Sotheby’s auction house was founded in 1744 when Samuel Baker, an entrepreneur, occasional publisher, and successful businessman held his first auction. Today the Sotheby’s Institute of Art emphasizes a keen understanding of an object’s value and history, a spirit of inquiry and scholarship, business acumen, and innovation that build upon these foundational values.
The Institute offers educational programs for professionals, pre-college audiences, and graduate students seeking expertise in art business and an understanding of the $60 billion global art economy. The course offerings cover everything from art history to key business skills from the campuses located in the world’s art capitals of London and New York, as well as online.