Virginie Tison is a true art world multi-hyphenate. Beginning her career as an art dealer, today she helms a multifaceted network of businesses, each of which maintains a mission focused on supporting and promoting art, artists, and other art world professionals. Helming Art Trope Gallery in Paris, Tison also has spent years offering masterclasses and working as an art coach, guiding artists through the practical aspects of the business and growing their careers. More recently, Tison established the Art Professional School, offering a more comprehensive and accessible education platform to a broader range of individuals—not just artists, but anyone working within the art world at large.
We reached out to Tison to learn more about why she founded Art Professional School, and what her hopes are for this expansive endeavor.
Virginie Tison. Courtesy of Art Professional School.
What initially inspired you to establish Art Professional School?
The creation of Art Professional School is a continuation of my professional actions in favor of artists since 2008, because I have never associated my work with the creation of a marketplace. I have always prioritized quality over quantity. In fact, I’m particularly fond of my job as a gallery owner, and I represent singularly talented artists whose aim is to make their artistic careers ethically sustainable for their collectors. That’s how I became aware over 15 years ago of the lack of professionalization among artists.
I began to support artists with Art Coach, through coaching and services, and now offer them training to position their careers and enable them to manage it as entrepreneurs via Art Professional School. That’s why the operational side is so important in my training courses, so they will be able to work on honoring their talent in an international and professional context.
Similarly, certain players in the fine art market also need training, whatever their field of activity. If I can help other entrepreneurs or executives in a wider sense to make their business a success, I’m delighted to make my methodologies and skills available to them.
Who are you hoping to help the most? Is the school geared more towards one type of arts professional over another?
Of course, my primary aim is to support the creators, but it’s just as important to train the other players in the market, such as gallery owners, curators, communicators, students, etc. This summer, for example, I trained the Managing Director Mr. Xavier Bollotte of the accounting firm La Société Fiduciaire de Révision in positioning his company’s communications, which for over 50 has been one of the accounting experts in the fine art market. The aim is not to provide digital communications training to become influencers, but to professionally showcase their expertise.
How has the Art Professional School been received thus far? What kind of feedback have you gotten?
The fact that Art Professional School has been awarded Qualiopi certification is akin to the beneficiary’s French training funds taking charge for the training offered. Obtaining this certification underlines the quality, seriousness, and commitment of Art Professional School in helping all those who take part in one of our training courses to improve their skills and become operational.
Last September, the French magazine Capital selected our trainings center to represent the fine arts market in their special edition of the best training-course centers in France.
We have also developed an application named, Art Professionnal School, downloadable from Apple Store and Google Play Store, to create a caring community and get closer to each of the beneficiaries of our training courses, services and/or gallery representation.
The feedback has been very positive, and I’m currently making sure that all training courses can be taken online without neglecting individualized support.
“My overall opinion of the training is extremely positive. Not only did I acquire new skills, but I’m still using the advice and tools I received or created during the course. It helped me gain confidence and considerably improve my digital communication strategy. I highly recommend the “Art Professional School” to anyone wishing to perfect their digital communication skills.” –Former Art Professional School Participant
What is your hope or aims for those who undertake training at the school? What do you want participants to take away with them?
Each training beneficiary is registered on the platform, enabling long-term follow-up. This enables us to pass on market developments and digital tools, but also to be present with our beneficiaries if they need further advice. My aim is to make each beneficiary operational by reinforcing their skills and passing on an effective methodology for filling in the gaps in their company’s communication.
The ultimate aim is to create a caring, professional community that will enable each individual’s talent to shine on the international stage.
It’s important to understand that the creation of three companies enables the following steps to be taken for a 360-degree, long-term collaboration:
- Art Coach to establish the current professional situation,
- Art Professional School to train and upgrade the skills of each beneficiary of the digital communication training courses, and to professionalize artists
- Art Trope Gallery to represent singularly talented artists, managed on a long-term basis and exhibited at professional contemporary art fairs
- Art Trope Agency to extend the international reach of the artistic work of the artists represented,
- Art Coach to ensure that the community receives ongoing support throughout their careers.
Do you have any perennial advice you would give people looking to enter the art world?
If you’re an artist, it’s important first and foremost to define the type of career you want to develop long term, and to professionalize the presentation of your artistic universe. Then, meet a person you trust to create a partnership, like a professional marriage, and develop your artistic career long term. That’s why Art Trope Gallery exists, to represent artists in this way.
If you’re a player in the fine arts market, my advice is above all to be as operational as possible in order to work positively within your field of activity.
If you are an artist’s agent or a contemporary art gallery owner representing emerging artists, i.e. as yet unknown to the art market, I think that to do your job you need to have investors to honor your part of the contract with your artists and your collectors, since developing an artistic career and implementing it within the international fine arts market is expensive. That’s why many major art galleries are backed by investment funds.
We are also looking for financial collaborators to take us even further.
Learn more about Art Professional School here.