As an intern at Sotheby's Contemporary Chinese Art Department, Xin Wang '09 spent the summer using her talents to the fullest. In her 11-week internship with the international auction house, Wang helped to prepare for an upcoming auction of contemporary Asian art. Although her internship was unpaid, she received funding from the Joseph F. Anderson Internship Fund, given in honor of a 1944 Hamilton graduate who served the college for 18 years as vice president for communications and development. The fund in his name provides individual stipends to support full-time internships for students wishing to expand their educational horizons in preparation for potential careers after graduation.
At Sotheby's, a small group of interns were given the chance to work in specialist departments that interested them. Wang was fortunate enough to work in her first-choice area of Chinese contemporary art, and since her department's auction takes place on September 17, she was able to participate in the entire pre-auction process. Early in the summer, while specialists traveled around the world to meet consignment clients, she helped the department administrator to contact the clients, as well as doing research and putting appraisal lists together. Once the consignments were confirmed, she helped organize property shipments from all over the world, working with international offices in Geneva, Paris, Milan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and mainland China to arrange for transport.
When the properties arrived in New York, Wang assisted the specialists to photo-tag each piece, measuring and checking the condition of the properties, and tagging them with information for photographing. This was one of Wang's favorite parts of her job: being able to work closely with the pieces and learn from the specialists at the same time to gain expertise in the field was like "paradise," she said. She also helped with the auction catalog, helping with layout, artist biographies, and Chinese indexes.
For Wang, this internship was the perfect opportunity to use her varied experiences and talents. A double major in history and math, working at Sotheby's was "a dream come true for any art history major," she says. "The greatest artworks of all genres are stored and shelved in large volume." While doing photo-tagging, she was able to see property from other departments, such as paintings by Francis Bacon, prints by Munch, and Ming Dynasty wooden Buddha sculptures. "It is very shocking to face them and feel their texture," Wang says.
At the same time, her math experience was useful for detail-oriented, analytical assignments. Her fluency in English and Chinese also proved to be very important. In addition to her contributions on the catalogue, she spoke every day in both English and Chinese on the telephone, and used her knowledge of classical Chinese to help translate an inscription of a classical text on a contemporary piece for the catalogue's essay writers. Even her less fluent understanding French was useful, since she could read relevant materials from contemporary Chinese artists working in Paris.
Having interned two years ago at a Beijing collector's warehouse and last summer at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Wang says that Sotheby's was the best place to explore a new side of art – the business aspect. The auction house has been an unparalleled internship experience, allowing her to learn and participate at an entirely new level, as well as giving her the chance to forge connections within the field. The combination of art and business that Sotheby's represents is her ideal profession she says: "I would definitely try to continue in this field as my lifelong career."
-- by Laura Bramley
At Sotheby's, a small group of interns were given the chance to work in specialist departments that interested them. Wang was fortunate enough to work in her first-choice area of Chinese contemporary art, and since her department's auction takes place on September 17, she was able to participate in the entire pre-auction process. Early in the summer, while specialists traveled around the world to meet consignment clients, she helped the department administrator to contact the clients, as well as doing research and putting appraisal lists together. Once the consignments were confirmed, she helped organize property shipments from all over the world, working with international offices in Geneva, Paris, Milan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and mainland China to arrange for transport.
When the properties arrived in New York, Wang assisted the specialists to photo-tag each piece, measuring and checking the condition of the properties, and tagging them with information for photographing. This was one of Wang's favorite parts of her job: being able to work closely with the pieces and learn from the specialists at the same time to gain expertise in the field was like "paradise," she said. She also helped with the auction catalog, helping with layout, artist biographies, and Chinese indexes.
For Wang, this internship was the perfect opportunity to use her varied experiences and talents. A double major in history and math, working at Sotheby's was "a dream come true for any art history major," she says. "The greatest artworks of all genres are stored and shelved in large volume." While doing photo-tagging, she was able to see property from other departments, such as paintings by Francis Bacon, prints by Munch, and Ming Dynasty wooden Buddha sculptures. "It is very shocking to face them and feel their texture," Wang says.
At the same time, her math experience was useful for detail-oriented, analytical assignments. Her fluency in English and Chinese also proved to be very important. In addition to her contributions on the catalogue, she spoke every day in both English and Chinese on the telephone, and used her knowledge of classical Chinese to help translate an inscription of a classical text on a contemporary piece for the catalogue's essay writers. Even her less fluent understanding French was useful, since she could read relevant materials from contemporary Chinese artists working in Paris.
Having interned two years ago at a Beijing collector's warehouse and last summer at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Wang says that Sotheby's was the best place to explore a new side of art – the business aspect. The auction house has been an unparalleled internship experience, allowing her to learn and participate at an entirely new level, as well as giving her the chance to forge connections within the field. The combination of art and business that Sotheby's represents is her ideal profession she says: "I would definitely try to continue in this field as my lifelong career."
-- by Laura Bramley
