Art valuer
Art valuers give advice on how much a piece of art or a collection of art is worth.
What you'll do
Day-to-day tasks
As an art valuer, you might:
- assess the condition, quality and age of the art
- check if objects have been restored or changed in any way
- carry out research and speak with specialists and historians
- keep up to date with current prices and demand
- prepare written valuations for clients
- lead auctions and make sure goods are sold for the best price
- act as an expert witness in disputed cases that have gone to court
Working environment
You could work at a client's home, in an office or at a client's business.
Your working environment may be dusty and you'll travel often.
Career path and progression
You could become a specialist in a particular period or type of art, move from small to large auction houses or work in a high profile gallery.
With experience you could set up your own business, offering a valuation service as well as buying and selling fine arts and antiques.
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- customer service skills
- administration skills
- excellent verbal communication skills
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- the ability to use your judgement and make decisions
- maths knowledge
- knowledge of the law like trading, consumer rights and property
- to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
How to become
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- working towards this role
- a graduate training scheme
You could complete a degree in a subject, such as art history, fine arts and restoration or fine arts conservation.
After your degree if you could then take professional training in valuation. You could also do a specialist postgraduate course, like art market and appraisal or arts business.
Internships
Some large auction houses offer internship programmes for university students.
Your university careers service can give you advice about internships and work experience placements, and how to find them.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
More Information
You could work in an auction house or antiques business as an assistant, porter or cataloguer. This is a great opportunity to learn through experience and part time study.
You might find it useful to get some work experience as getting in to this work can be competitive. Volunteering can also help you to get started in this career.
You could join a graduate training scheme with a large auction house. Employers only offer a few of these each year.
You'll usually need a degree in a subject like history of art or fine art, along with relevant art and business experience.
Further information
You can find out more about careers in culture and heritage from the Museums Association.
You can also get information about working in creative careers from Discover Creative Careers.
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External links
This page contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.