September 24 – October 29, 2025 (6 Hybrid Sessions)
“Whether for seasoned collectors or those just getting started, Alice’s ‘bootcamp’ is an engaging and informative roadmap to the photography market. Her passion is contagious and her insights invaluable.”
— Martha Tedeschi
former Elizabeth and John Moors Cabot Director,
Harvard Art Museums
Photography remains more relevant than ever in our contemporary world and is one of the most exciting collecting categories today. While it is important to collect what you love, buyers need to be informed and understand the medium, the marketplace and most importantly, the questions to ask before making an investment. And while photography is a medium of multiples, each print is unique.
This 6-session hybrid workshop (3 virtual sessions; 3 in-person sessions), led by Arts + Business Partners Founder and President Alice Sachs Zimet, covers the key questions to ask before starting your collecting journey:
- The do’s and don’ts when navigating the market
- How to bid at auction
- Where to shop (fairs, galleries, auctions, online platforms)
- How to craft the character or theme of your collection
We’ll also have 3 exclusive in-person, on-site visits to:
- An auction preview with the auction specialist
- Several prominent Chelsea photography galleries, where we will meet with dealers
- A visit, with cocktail reception, to Zimet’s private photography collection, accompanied by CPW’s Executive Director, Brian Wallis
To round out the class, students will present an image they’d hypothetically like to buy. No matter if you’re a beginner or more seasoned, this workshop will equip collectors with the knowledge–and confidence—to navigate today’s photography market.
WHEN: September 24 – October 29, 2025.
Six two-hour sessions, three virtual and three on-site.
WHERE: This class is a hybrid.
We will meet both on Zoom and at various NYC locations for site visits.
CLASS LIMIT: 15
TUITION: $600
CPW MEMBER TUITION: $525
Session 1:
September 24, 5-7pm – Collecting Basics and the Questions to Ask (virtual)
Session 2:
October 1, 5-7pm – How to Buy at an Auction (virtual)
Session 3:
October 8, 4-6pm – Site Visit to Swann Auction Preview* (in-person)
*A week before Swann’s photo auction
Session 4:
October 15, 5-7pm – Where to Shop / The Marketplace (virtual)
Session 5:
October 22, 4-6pm – Chelsea Gallery Visits (in-person)
Session 6:
October 29, 6-8pm – Cocktail Reception at the Instructor’s Home
w/ CPW’s Executive Director, Brian Wallis (in-person)
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:
Alice Sachs Zimet, President, Arts + Business Partners (ABP), began to collect photography in 1985. She has since assembled an impressive collection of over 350 works by 147 different photographers, from twentieth-century masters to the present. As an educator, Alice has taught workshops for collectors and photographers about the fine-art photography marketplace for over fifteen years, at the ICP School, Maine Media Workshops + College, the Houston Center of Photography, Christie’s Education, and other venues. Alice is Chair, Collections Committee, International Center of Photography (ICP); Chair, Photography Curatorial Committee, Harvard Art Museums; and Board Member, Magnum Foundation. Alice founded ABP after a 20-year career as Director, Worldwide Cultural Affairs, at The Chase Manhattan Bank. She is currently an Adjunct Professor at New York University’s Graduate Program in Arts Administration.