Observe · Regulate · Protect — since 2007. 19th OIMAP General Assembly: Singapore, 10–12 June 2026. Programme
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24 October 2026 · Updated at 07:47 GMT FR EN ES Member area Log in
Training

Market professionals

Auctioneers, gallery owners and collectors: training to buy, sell and conserve safely.

Updated : October 28, 2026· 3 min read

Pages in this section

Bookplate: Boylston Medical Library, George Girdler Smith (1806–39)Training for gallery ownersContracts with artists, provenance, consignment, fairs and online sales: the programme for galleries.› Views: The Market on the Molo, Antonio Canaletto (1735–1746)Training for auctioneersConditions of sale, estimates, warranties, due diligence and compliance: the programme for auction professionals.› Leaf from a Lectionary with St. Luke (1057–1063)Training for collectorsAcquiring with discernment, documenting one's collection and passing it on: a one-day programme for private collectors.›

Buying and selling with confidence

A Lady Reading, Francis Seymour Haden (1833–1910)
A Lady Reading, Francis Seymour Haden (1833–1910)

The art market rests on trust, but trust is built on practices: checking provenance, documenting, contracting, conserving. The Academy offers market professionals short courses and certificates that give them the tools of due diligence.

More than 3,200 auctioneers, gallery owners, dealers, advisers and collectors have been trained. The programmes also prepare for OIMAP's approval and compliance label.

This section presents the offers for auctioneers, gallery owners and collectors.

  • Market
  • Professionals
  • Label

Market professionals in figures

3,200Professionals trained
1,380Labelled galleries
1,120Approved auction houses
94%Satisfaction

Source: OIMAP Academy.

Three professions

Creamer, Louis Rorimer (c. 1910)AuctionsAuctioneers

Sales and warranties.

›Portrait of a Man, Louis Lafitte (1793)GalleriesGallery owners

Contracts and provenance.

›Plate: Diana and Acteon, Maestro Giorgio Andreoli (1522)CollectionsCollectors

Acquiring and documenting.

›

Breakdown

Gallery owners and dealers40%
Auctioneers28%
Collectors20%
Advisers, insurers12%

Professionals trained.

Yokkaichi: View of the Mie River, from the series The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō, Utagawa Hiroshige (c. 1833–34)
Yokkaichi: View of the Mie River, from the series The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō, Utagawa Hiroshige (c. 1833–34)
Portrait of a Woman, Corneille de Lyon (c. 1540)
Portrait of a Woman, Corneille de Lyon (c. 1540)
Christ Driving the Money Changers from the Temple, Rembrandt van Rijn (1635)
Christ Driving the Money Changers from the Temple, Rembrandt van Rijn (1635)

Why train

Market requirements are evolving: due diligence, anti-money-laundering, traceability, online sales, restitutions. A trained professional protects their business, reassures clients and insurers, and can demonstrate compliance.

Training also reduces disputes: more than half of the arbitral tribunal's cases concern contracts that better scoping would have avoided.

An offer suited to each profession

Auctioneers are interested in conditions of sale, warranties, estimates and verification obligations. Gallery owners, in artist representation, contracts and provenance. Collectors, in acquisition, documentation and transmission. Each has a dedicated programme.

Common modules cover due diligence, ethics and legal risks.

The compliance label

Galleries and auction houses can obtain OIMAP's compliance label, which attests to verification and documentation practices. Training of at least one manager is one of the conditions. The Academy offers a three-month preparatory pathway.

The label is valid for three years and subject to a renewal audit.

Formats

Professionals can choose between free online courses, webinars, short two-day sessions, a three-month certificate and in-house programmes. Training takes place in the evening or at weekends to fit the constraints of the trade.

Preferential rates are granted to approved professionals and small businesses.

Offers by profession

Four offers
ProfessionFlagship programmeDuration
AuctioneerConditions of sale and warranties2 days
Gallery ownerContracts and provenance2 days
CollectorAcquiring and documenting1 day
EveryoneDue Diligence Certificate3 months

Milestones

  1. First sessions

    Auction houses.

  2. Gallery owners

    Programme.

  3. Label

    Launch.

  4. 3,200 professionals

    Review.

Woman Sitting Reading , Georges Lemmen (1905)
Woman Sitting Reading , Georges Lemmen (1905)
At the Market, Camille Pissarro (late 1800s)
At the Market, Camille Pissarro (late 1800s)
Portraits of the Qianlong Emperor and His Twelve Consorts, Giuseppe Castiglione (1736–70s)
Portraits of the Qianlong Emperor and His Twelve Consorts, Giuseppe Castiglione (1736–70s)

Lighter prerequisites

Short courses or certificate

High Class Students and Teachers at Bishop Cotton School, Shimla (verso), Raja Deen Dayal (c. 1882–87)

Short courses

1 to 2 days
  • Quick
  • Targeted
  • No title

For a specific need.

An Old Clothes Shop, Seven Dials, John Thomson (1877)

Certificate

3 months
  • Recognised qualification
  • Label preparation
  • Investment

To structure one's practice.

Training for your business

  1. Identify

    Need.

  2. Choose

    Programme.

  3. Enrol

    Online.

  4. Apply

    Practices.

  5. Assert

    Label.

Expected benefits

A dealer

Portrait of a Woman, Gerard ter Borch (c. 1665)
« Training seemed to me a cost; it has become a selling point. My clients know that I check. »
Édouard Lenoir, art dealer

Market vocabulary

Due diligence
Checks before a transaction.
Compliance label
OIMAP distinction.
Provenance
History of a work.
Approval
Recognition of an operator.

Community and network

Trained professionals join the alumni network and a group dedicated to the market. They meet at annual gatherings, exchange practices and take part in drawing up the good-practice guides of the Market section.

They can also become trainers or mentors.

Frequently asked questions

Who can take part?

Any professional.

Are there preferential rates?

Yes.

Does the certificate lead to the label?

It prepares for it.

Where to see auctioneers?

Useful documents

Contacts

Small Mosque in the Kaiserbagh, Felice A. Beato (1858)
Small Mosque in the Kaiserbagh, Felice A. Beato (1858)
OIMAP AcademyParis — Head Office+33 1 00 00 05 00formation@oimap.exampleMonday to Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

See auctioneers

The Market Place, Wells, Muirhead Bone (1891–1953)

Dedicated programme.

Auctioneers
Image credits (23)
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